Srom  f 3c  feifirarg  of 
(()rofe66or  ^dmuef  (gXtffer 
in  (^ftemorg  of 
3ubgc  ^amuef  (gttffer  QSrecfttnrtbgc 

(jjreeenfeb  fii? 
^amuef  (Qttffer  QSrecfttnrtbge  ^long 

fo      &i6rari?  of 
^'^«^^rtn  2t6«ofoatcaf  ^emtnarp 

BX  8  .V35  1835 

VanDyck,  Abraham,  d.  1835. 

Christian  union 


t 


CHRISTIAN  UNION. 


CHRISTIAN  UNION; 


OR, 

AN  ARGUMENT  FOR  THE  ABOLITION  OF 
SECTS. 


BY  ABRAHAM  VAN  DYCK, 

COUNSELLOR  AT  LAW. 


Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  is  brought  to  desolation,  and  every 
city  or  house  divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand.  —  Matt.  xii.  25. 

Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  

that  there  be  no  divisions  among  you,  —  1  Cor.  i.  10. 

And  the  glory  which  thou  givest  me,  I  have  given  them,  that  they  may  be 
one,  even  as  we  are  one.  —  John  xvii.  22. 


TO  WHICH  IS  PREFIXED, 

A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

NEW-YORK: 
D.  APPLETON  &  Co.,  200  BROADWAY. 

MDCCCXXXV. 


Entered  accoidiog  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1835. 
Br  D.  APPLETON  &  Co., 
Ib  the  Clerk  b  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  South- 
ern District  of  New-York. 


G.  F.  Ropkiru  &  Son,  print- .  44  Nassaa-stKet. 


DEDICATION. 


To  the  Rev.  David  Abeel,  American  Missionary  to  South 
Eastern  Asia. 

Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  : 

Entertaining  the  highest  respect  for  your  Christian 
character  and  intelligence,  and  appreciating  your  fervent 
zeal  in  the  cause  of  our  common  Master,  as  well  as  your 
services  and  self-denial  in  the  promotion  of  his  kingdom 
as  a  minister  and  a  missionary,  I  deem  myself  happy  in 
dedicating  to  you  this  publication. 

The  divisions  in  the  church  of  Christ  have  long  been 
to  me,  as  they  have  been  to  many  of  the  friends  of  reli- 
gion, the  cause  of  much  anxious  solicitude  ;  to  none, 
perhaps,  more  so  than  to  the  missionary  among  the  hea- 
then. He,  having  escaped  from  the  atmosphere  and  in- 
fluence of  sect,  soon  learns  to  stand  on  the  broad  ground 
of  the  Bible,  is  enabled  to  take  an  impartial  view  of  the 
nature,  use,  and  wants  of  the  church,  and  perceives  the 
sin  and  folly  of  controversy  and  warfare  among  the  friends 
of  Christ,  when  all  the  energy  and  strength  of  union  is 
required  to  resist  and  vanquish  the  hosts  of  darkness. 

From  my  personal  knowledge  of  your  catholic  princi- 
ples, the  tenor  of  your  communications  made  from  the 
places  of  your  missionary  labours,  and  the  sentiments 
expressed  in  your  public  addresses  since  your  return 


vi 


from  Asia,  I  am  persuaded  you  have  often,  while  in  hea- 
then lands,  exclaimed  with  Henry  Martyn,  "  How  small 
and  unimportant  are  the  hair-splitting  disputes  of  the 
blessed  people  at  home,  compared  with  the  formidable 
agents  of  the  devil  which  we  have  to  combat  here !"  and 
that,  with  David  Brainerd,  you  have  felt  a  deep  abhor- 
rence and  loathing  of  every  thing  like  party  in  religion. 

The  question  has  often  presented  itself  to  those  who 
have  mourned  over  the  breaches  in  the  family  of  Christ, 
What  must  be  done  to  heal  them,  so  that  the  church  may 
not  only  appear  in  all  the  genuine  beauty  of  its  original 
unity,  as  constituted  by  its  Head,  but  may  present  an 
unbroken  front  to  withstand  the  many  and  powerful  ad- 
veisaries  which  impede  her  march  to  the  conquest  of  the 
world?  Thii  question  is  attempted  to  be  answered  in 
the  following  pages,  in  which  the  author  has  also  assum- 
ed the  task  of  proving  that  the  division  of  the  church  into 
sects  is  unlawful,  unconstitutional,  and  pregnant  with 
evil.  He  has  likewise  presented  such  motives  as  appear 
to  him  to  be  of  sufficient  weight  to  induce  every  friend 
of  the  church,  who  may  receive  the  doctrine  herein  ad- 
vanced, to  put  forth  his  efforts  to  restore  its  unity. 
I  am,  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir, 

Yours  in  the  love  of  the  gospel, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Proof  that  the  church  is  one  by  the  constitution  of 

God     ......       .  5 

Proof  that  division  into  sects  is  a  breach  of  its  unity  9 

The  bond  of  union        .....  23 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  EVILS  OF  SECT. 

1.  It  banishes  love  and  peace        ...  33 

2.  Cherishes  pride        .....  36 

3.  Muhiphes  false  professors  of  reUgion  .       .  37 

4.  Keeps  men  from  the  proper  reading  of  the  Bible  39 

5.  Prevents  reformation  in  doctrine  and  Christian 

practice        ......  43 

6.  Strengthens  opposers  of  religion        .       .  60 

7.  Retards  the  latter  day  glory       .       .       .  51 

8.  Weakens  the  church,  and  tends  to  destroy  it  55 

CHAPTER  III. 

OBJECTIONS  TO  THE  ABOLITION  OF  SECTS  ANSWERED. 

1.  That  the  benefit  of  emulation  will  be  lost    .  63 

2.  That  it  involves  a  sacrifice  of  principle  to  unite 

with  Christians  who  have  not  the  same  faith  66 

3.  That  divers  denominations  are  necessary  to  pre- 

serve the  purity  of  doctrine      ...  76 

4.  That  divers  denominations  are  necessary  to  op- 

erate to  advantage  upon  all  classes  of  the  peo- 
ple  81 


viii 


5.  The  danger  of  uniting  church  and  state       .  82 

6.  That  if  sects  were  aboUshed,  the  church  would 

soon  be  Eigain  divided      ....  84 

CHAPTER  IV. 

OBSTACLES  TO  THE  REUNION  OF  THE  CHURCH  CONSI- 
DERED. 

1.  The  power  of  long  cherished  habits  and  opinions  88 

2.  The  powerful  interests  that  bind  men  to  sect  90 

3.  The  subjection  of  the  periodical  press  to  the  in- 

terests of  sect        .....  93 

4.  The  fear  of  odiuna  and  contempt        .       .  94 

5.  The  many  objects  of  attention  already  before 

the  Christian  public        ....  96 

6.  The  present  low  state  of  religion        .       .  98 

7.  Human  creeds  and  systems  of  theology     .  ICQ 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  FACILITIES  OR  ENCOURAGEMENTS  TO  THE  REUNION 
OF  THE  CHURCH. 

1.  Staleness  of  religious  controversy      .       .  104 

2.  Experience  for  two  hundred  years  of  the  evils 

of  division     .       .        .       .       .  .105 

3.  The  union  of  several  denominations  actually 

formed  for  various  benevolent  purposes      .  105 

4.  Evidence  of  the  harmonious  faith  of  Christiems, 

furnished  by  the  pubUcations  of  the  American 
Tract  Society       .       .       .       .  .106 

5.  The  alarm  manifested  by  the  advocates  of  sect  106 

6.  The  alarm  manifested  by  the  enemies  of  reli- 

gion    .......  107 

7.  Recent  publications  evincing  a  growing  desire 

of  union  among  Christians      .       .  .107 


ix 

8.  The  diffusion  of  useful  knowledge      .       .  Ill 

9.  The  sure  word  of  prophecy       .       .       .  112 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  MEANS  FOR  RESTORING  THE  UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

1.  Confess  the  sin  of  division,  and  ask  forgiveness 

of  God  120 

2.  Cease  from  unprofitable  controversy  .       .  133 

3.  Return  to  scriptural  principles  in  licensing  min- 

isters of  the  gospel,  and  receiving  church  mem- 
bers  136 

4.  Cherish  love  to  Christians  of  all  denominations  141 

CHAPTER  YII. 

the  means  for  restoring  the  unity  of  the  church, 
(continued.) 

5.  Labour  to  elevate  the  standard  of  religion    .  14S 

6.  Encourage  the  benevolent  associations  of  the  , 

day      .       .       .       .       .       .  .156 

7.  Return  to  the  primitive  mode  of  reading  the  Bi- 

ble  171 

8.  Cherish  the  spirit  of  prayer  appropriate  to  the 

times,  especially  for  a  more  devoted  and  more 
efficient  ministry    .       .       .       .  .178 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

the  OPERATION  AND  RESULT  OF  THE  MEANS  TO 

BE   EMPLOYED  .  .  .  .  .183 

IX. 

AN  APPEAL  TO  CHRISTIANS  OF  EVERY  DENOMINA- 
TION  212 


PREFACE. 


The  main  subject  discussed  in  the  following  pages 
was  some  years  ago  pressed,  by  a  particular  providence, 
upon  the  attention  of  the  author,  and  has  continued  to 
occupy  more  or  less  of  his  thoughts  ever  since  that  time. 
He  has  endeavoured  to  discover  the  truth  by  a  direct  ap- 
plication and  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  and  the  re- 
sult has  been  a  strong  and  settled  conviction  of  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  principles  advocated  in  this  work.  He 
believes  that  the  church  was  originally  constituted  by  its 
Founder  one  and  indivisible — that  the  divisions  which 
have  broken  it  in  pieces  are  in  direct  violation  of  this 
constitution,  and  have  brought  a  flood  of  evils  upon  the 
church,  which  have  hitherto  kept  her  from  rising  to  the 
glory  to  which  she  is  destined. 

The  author  does  not  advocate  an  immediate  or  hasty 
amalgamation  of  sects,  or  the  formation  of  churches  em- 
bracing all  Christians  of  every  creed.  He  earnestly  de- 
precates such  measures  until  a  better  feeling  shall  pre- 
vail than  exists  at  the  present  time.  But  he  insists  that 
as  the  church  was  originally  constituted  one,  and  will  be 
one  in  heaven,  and  also  on  earth  in  the  period  of  the  lat- 
ter day  glory,  it  ought  to  be  one  now ;  but  since  it  is  not, 
that  Christians  are  under  obligation  to  restore  its  unity, 
and  ought  to  enter  immediately  upon  the  work  of  prepa- 


xi 


ration  to  bring  about  this  desirable  result.   He  has  ven- 
tured to  specify  some  of  the  means  which  he  believes 
will  tend  to  promote  it,  though  he  admits  that  the  chief 
reliance  must  be  on  the  direction  of  God,  as  to  the  pro- 
per means,  and  his  blessing  upon  them.  And  this  direc- 
tion and  blessing  he  is  confident  will  not  be  withholden, 
when  God's  people  shall  have  entered  in  earnest  upon 
the  work.  It  is  not  deemed  necessary  to  make  any  apo- 
logy for  presenting  this  book  to  the  public.    The  doc- 
trines it  advances  are  not  new,  but  have  had  their  advo- 
cates ever  since  the  protestant  church  has  been  despoiled 
of  her  beauty  and  shorn  of  her  strength  by  the  loss  of  her 
unity.    But  their  voice  has  been  unheard  or  unheeded 
amidst  the  din  of  religious  controversy,  and  the  rage  of 
party  feeling.    The  author  is  persuaded  that  at  the  pre- 
sent time  the  state  of  the  church  imperiously  calls  for  a 
work  of  the  kind  now  presented,  and  that  the  minds  of 
many  are  prepared  to  give  it  a  cordial  welcome,  although 
the  great  mass  may  yet  be  unwilling  to  listen  to  the  over- 
ture of  union.    A  considerable  change,  he  thinks,  has 
manifested  itself  in  the  feelings  of  Christians  in  the  course 
of  a  few  months  past.  He  beUeves  that  now,  in  the  midst 
of  existing  distractions  and  divisions,  the  spirit  of  union 
is  operating  upon  the  hearts  of  God's  children,  and  that 
there  are  now  many  encouragements  to  the  immediate 
commencement  of  the  work  of  healing  the  breaches  of 
Zion. 

The  author  is  not  an  advocate  for  latitudinarian  prin- 


ciplcs,  and  would  not  open  the  doors  of  the  church  wider 
than  the  Scriptures  rcfjuirc,  nor  does  he  wittingly  under- 
value the  importance  of  any  reli^iouM  truth.  lJut  ho  be- 
lieves that  a.sifJe  frorn  the  cardinal  doctrine«  of  man'H 
depravity  nnd  (^uilt  in  the  wight  of  a  holy  God — the  way 
of  hi»  pardon,  and  rcHtoration  to  Divine  favour  tlirough 
the  blood  and  mediation  of  his  Son,  and  the  necesHity  of 
re(;;eneration  through  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit — 
there  in  not,  perhapH,  any  tnilh  of  the  IJible  more  iiit]><>T- 
tant  to  the  proHpcrity  of  the  church  than  the  d(x;trinc  of 
it«  unity.  Now  iff  there  any  duty  of  more  prc»»ing  obli- 
gation u[>on  (JhriHtiauM  at  the  prewent  tirne  than  that  of 
labouring  and  making  every  allowable  sacrifice;  to  termi- 
nate it«  diviitionM,  and  bring  it  back  to  itn  original  unity? 

TifE  AUTHOR. 

January,  1835. 


A  SKETCH 

OF  THE 

LIFE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


The  author  of  this  volume  was  a  lawyer  by  profes- 
sion, and  died  in  February,  1835,  at  his  residence  in 
Coxsackie,  N.  Y.  Though  a  man  of  talents,  he  was 
never  ambitious  of  notoriety.  He  was  always  ready  to 
do  his  duty,  but  never  wished  to  appear  conspicuous ; 
yet  his  general  character  was  well  known  to  many 
friends  of  morality  and  religion  in  this  country.  To 
others,  the  following  extracts  of  a  letter  may  not  be  un- 
acceptable : 

"  A  memoir  of  Mr.  Van  Dyck,  if  justice  could  be 
done  to  the  subject,  could  not  fail  of  being  in  a  high 
degree,  both  interesting  and  useful.  He  was  a  Chris- 
tian of  uncommon  attainments  in  religious  experi- 
ence, as  well  as  knowledge.  It  could  truly  be  said  of 
him,  that  he  lived  near  to  God.  Sometimes  for  months 
together,  in  the  best  sense,  he  walked  in  the  light  of  his 
countenance.  At  such  seasons,  divine  communion  was 
the  element  in  which  his  mind  habitually  moved.  So 
strongly  did  his  thoughts  and  desires  tend  upwards,  that, 
at  every  cessation  of  professional  business,  or  worldly 
cares,  he  found  himself  with  God.  Of  such  things,  he 
was  by  no  means  very  communicative.  He  never  loved 
to  talk  of  himself;  he  always  shunned  it  if  he  could; 
yet  at  times,  to  an  intimate  friend,  and  for  some  good 
purpose,  he  was  willing  to  declare  what  the  Lord  had 


xiv 


done  for  his  soul.  At  the  close  of  his  life,  he  was  in  a 
state  of  perfect  peace  eind  assurance.  For  the  last  five 
years,  scarce  a  momentary  cloud  ever  obscured  his  pros- 
pects ;  yet  he  was  no  enthusiast.  No  man  examined 
more  carefully  the  ground  on  which  he  trod,  or  could 
more  intelligently  give  a  reason  of  his  hope. 

"  He  had  habitually  very  exalted  and  endearing  views 
of  God  and  Christ ;  and  was  very  sensitive  to  every 
thing  that  might  effect  his  intercourse  with  them.  His 
mind  was  much  occupied  with  these  great  objects,  and 
was  much  alive  to  their  glory.  Hence  he  not  only 
abounded  in  prayer,  but  delighted  in  it.  He  loved  to 
pray.  It  was  a  pleasure,  and  not  a  burden.  The  sanc- 
tuary, the  social  meeting,  the  family  and  the  closet,  all 
bore  ^v^tness  to  his  devotional  spirit.  His  prayers  were 
particularly  remarkable  for  the  confession  of  sin.  That 
abominable  thing  was  exceedingly  his  abhorrence  ;  and 
he  saw  a  great  deal  of  it  where  ordinary  Christians  see 
but  little.  His  sensibility  on  this  point  increased  very 
much  in  his  last  days  ;  yet  he  was  not  a  gloomy  but 
cheerful  Christian. — Equally  remarkable  was  he  in  pray- 
er for  a  pleading  spirit,  and  for  a  childlike  simplicity  of 
manner.  Then  he  felt  that  he  had  no  ground  of  reliance, 
but  the  mediation  of  Chiist ;  and  that  here  he  could  rest 
with  the  utmost  confidence.  No  person  could  attach 
more  importance  to  the  divinity,  atonement,  and  inter- 
cession of  Christ,  as  practical  doctiines,  especially  in 
prayer.  Then  he  would  dwell  with  peculiar  interest  on 
the  infinite  love  and  grace  of  God  exhibited  in  the  gos- 
pel, as  encouragement  to  prayer,  and  as  calculated  to 
affect'the  hearts  of  sinners.  No  one  could  attach  great- 
er importance  to  the  presence  and  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Comforter  was  a  friend  whom  he  most 
highly  valued,  and  most  tenderly  loved.    He  never  in- 


XV 

dulged  in  any  thing  like  affectation  of  feeling  ;  yet  his 
emotions  in  prayer  were  sometimes  too  strong  for  utter- 
ance. Tears  then  became  the  best  expression  of  what 
passed  within.    Many  instances  could  be  named. 

"  As  to  doctrinal  views,  he  was  far  from  being  loose  or 
unsettled.  He  was  decidedly  what  is  commonly  called 
a  Calvinist ;  though  he  was  by  no  means  so  bigotted  but 
that  he  could  clearly  distinguish  between  what  was,  and 
what  was  not,  essential  to  the  system.  The  relative  im- 
portance which  he  ascribed  to  various  truths,  was  regu- 
lated by  the  best  standard.  In  this  respect,  as  in  others, 
he  was  eminently  a  Bible  Christian.  The  sacred  vol- 
ume he  studied  a  great  deal ;  and  that  with  an  humble 
and  teachable  disposition.  The  Spirit  he  loved  to  hon- 
our in  looking  for  his  aid  to  understand  the  Scriptures. 
By  this  means,  he  found  them  an  inexhaustible  treasure, 
from  \vhich  he  became  greatly  enriched. 

"  Enlightened  by  revelation,  he  looked  upon  the  pro- 
gress of  society  with  the  deepest  interest.  He  took 
pleasure  in  the  fact,  that  in  this  country,  from  the  liberal 
nature  of  our  institutions,  necessity  was  laid  upon  us  for 
promoting  the  intellectual  and  moral  improvement  of  all 
classes.  He  anticipated  a  time  when  the  associations 
and  intercouse  of  men,  would  depend  more  on  moral 
worth,  than  artificial  distinctions.  He  thought  our  aim 
should  be  to  raise  the  people,  and  receive  from  them 
every  wholesome  influence.  He  looked  upon  mankind 
with  the  Bible  in  his  hand;  then,  seeing  at  once  their 
ruin,  and  the  way  of  their  recovery,  he  was  anxious  that 
the  remedy  should  be  apphed  without  delay.  Regard- 
ing the  gospel  as  the  only  moral  renovator  of  the  world, 
he  was  very  anxious  to  see  its  free  course,  both  at  home 
and  abroad.  For  this  end,  he  not  only  prayed,  but 
laboured  and  expended.    Few  persons,  in  proportion  to 


xvi 


their  means,  gave  as  much  for  benevolent  objects  ;  and 
no  where,  certainly,  was  there  a  more  cheerful  giver. 
Upon  the  church,  likewise,  he  looked  with  the  Bible  in 
his  hand ;  and  seeing  by  its  light  many  things  that  ap- 
peared wrong,  he  was  anxious  to  see  them  brought  back 
to  where  the  apostles  had  left  them.  Particularly  did 
he  long  to  see  that  brotherly  love,  and  that  union  of  feel- 
ing and  effort  in  the  great  work  of  the  world's  salvation, 
for  which  Christians  were  once  so  remarkable.  What 
Mr.  Grimke  called  "  the  genius  of  the  existing  order  of 
things,"  he  regarded  as  an  incubus  upon  the  church, 
which  stifled  her  life  an  energy. 

"  From  what  has  now  been  said,  it  might  be  inferred, 
that  he  must  have  neglected  the  common  duties  of  life, 
and  those  of  his  profession.  This,  however,  was  far 
from  being  the  case.  By  dihgence,  and  a  proper  divis- 
ion of  time,  he  was  able  to  attend  to  these,  as  well  as  to 
his  religious  duties.  His  brethren  of  the  bar  will  testify, 
that  as  a  lawyer,  he  did  a  great  deal,  and  did  it  well. 
Yet  religion  was  his  delight.  A  few  years  before  his 
death,  he  entertained  serious  thoughts  of  relinquishing 
the  practice  of  law,  for  the  purpose  of  being  more  direct- 
ly and  extensively  engaged  in  doing  good.  On  reflec- 
tion, however,  he  became  convinced  that  it  was  not  his 
duty. 

"  These  must  be  regarded  as  merely  a  few,  brief,  and 
very  imperfect  hints,  of  what  he  was.  A  full  portrait 
would  reqviire  a  volume.  None,  who  have  enjoyed  op- 
portunities of  knowing  him,  will  hesitate  to  place  him  in 
the  same  rank  with  such  men  as  Evarts,  Grimke  and 
Wirt." 


CHRISTIAN  UNION; 


OR, 

AN  ARGUMENT  FOR  THE  ABOLITION  OF  SECTS. 


Should  our  Saviour  this  day  come  down  from  heaven, 
take  up  his  abode  on  earth,  and  in  his  human  nature  as- 
sume the  immediate  government  of  the  church,  would  he 
look  with  complacency  on  its  divisions  into  sects  and  de- 
nominations ?  Would  his  scattered  followers  appear  in 
his  eye  as  different  streams,  all  beautifully  flowing  into 
one  mighty  river,  or  as  one  great  army,  composed  of 
many  legions,  all  having  the  same  views,  and  harmoni- 
ously co-operating  under  the  same  counsels  ?  Would 
he  not  rather  express  his  sorrow  and  indignation  that  the 
demon  of  discord  had  been  permitted  to  sow  dissention 
among  his  disciples,  and  that  thereby  the  world,  instead 
of  having  been  subdued  into  faithful  subjection  to  his 
kingdom,  by  the  united  power  of  his  forces,  is  yet  as  to 
nine-tenths  of  it,  under  the  dominion  of  Heathenism, 
delusion,  and  error. 

1 


2 


The  personal  advent  of  Christ  is  expected  by  orJy  a 
small  number  of  his  professed  disciples ;  and  for  all  the 
purposes  of  our  present  subject,  we  may  take  it  for  grant- 
ed, that  he  will  continue  on  his  throne  in  heaven,  until  his 
mediatorial  work  shall  be  completed ;  and  that  to  the 
end  of  the  world  he  will  govern  the  church  by  his  minis- 
ters, his  word,  and  his  spirit,  and  upon  the  principles  de- 
clared in  the  Scriptures  of  everlasting  truth  ;  so  that  we 
must  needs  be  content  to  answer  the  above  inquiries 
from  what  is  taught  in  the  Bible,  instead  of  waiting  for  a 
new  revelation  from  the  great  head  of  the  church,  whose 
word,  already  written,  endureth  for  ever. 

Among  Protestant  Christians  there  are  some  who 
maintain  that  the  division  of  the  church  into  sects  and 
denominations,  instead  of  being  detrimental,  is  rather 
advantageous  to  her  best  interests.  A  second  class  ap- 
prehend it  to  be  injurious,  but  entertain  so  little  hope  of 
healing  the  division,  that  they  give  a  ready  ear  to  any 
flatterer  that  may  undertake  to  show  its  advantages,  and 
are  thus  kept  in  a  state  of  doubt,  and  consequent  inaction. 
There  is  another  class,  who  seem  to  be  convinced  that 
the  schisms  in  the  church  are  a  great  evil,  but  do  not  put 
forth  a  wish  to  have  a  remedy  applied  in  any  other  way 
than  by  the  universal  prevalence  of  the  sect  to  which  they 
belong.  And  we  are  happy  in  the  belief  that  there  are 
also  many  among  the  people  of  God,  who  are  perfectly 
convinced  that  the  rending  asunder  of  the  church  of 
Christ  is  the  source  of  many  and  great  evils,  and  that  it 
is  a  flagrant  breach  of  the  unity  of  the  church,  as  consti- 
tuted by  its  head  ;  and  who  are  desiring  and  praying  that 
the  omniscient  God  may  lead  his  children  to  discern  and 
carry  into  effect  the  proper  remedy.  There  are  proba- 
bly but  few  intelligent  Christians,  whose  minds  are  not. 


in  some  measure,  exercised  upon  this  important  subject. 
A  spirit  of  solicitude  and  inquiry  is  abroad,  and  the  inte- 
rest of  the  attentive  disciple  is  increased  by  what  he  sees 
to  be  transpiring  in  the  providence  of  God.  The  finger 
of  the  Almighty  is  pointing  to  a  re-union  of  the  church, 
according  to  its  original  constitution,  as  the  only  hope  of 
saving  her  from  being  torn  into  such  fragments  as  to 
render  it  impossible  to  sustain  her  institutions. 

We  believe  that  God  has  graciously  provided  a  reme- 
dy for  all  the  evils  that  afflict  his  church,  and  that  the 
time  and  measure  of  redress  depend  upon  the  discern- 
ment and  faithful  exertions  of  his  children,  in  an  humble 
reliance  upon  his  assistance.  We  are  confident  that  the 
evil  of  division  is  palpable  and  intolerable,  and  that  the 
remedy  is  obviously  indicated  in  the  word  of  God  itself. 
But  as  the  first  step  towards  reUef  is  to  convince  the  se- 
rious and  watchful  Christian  of  the  existence  of  the  evil, 
and  the  next  step  is  to  point  out  the  remedy,  and  show 
the  practicability  of  its  successful  application,  we  make 
our  earnest  appeal  to  Christians  of  every  denomination, 
entreating  their  candid  and  patient  attention  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  these  momentous  topics. 


4 


CHAPTER  I. 


OF  THE  UNITY  OF  THE  CHURCH, 


1.  Proof  llial  the  Church  is  one.  Unity  essential  to  accomplish 
God's  design  in  establishing  the  Church.  Its  unity  indicated  in 
the  Old  Testament.  Taught  in  the  New  Testament  by  Christ  and 
his  Apostles.  —  2,  Division  into  Sects  is  a  breach  of  its  vnity.  So  be- 
lieved the  Apostles,  the  primitive  Christians  of  the  three  first  centu- 
ries, and  Uie  Reformers,  and  so  teaches  Christ  in  liis  intercessory 
prayer,  and  in  his  figure  of  the  vine  and  i'.s  branches.  So  teaches 
Paul  in  liis  figure  of  the  human  body  and  its  members,  of  a  family, 
of  a  sheep-fold.  The  bond  of  union  is  love,  and  that  is  preserved 
by  forbearance  in  matters  of  opinion  and  practice. 

The  church  of  God  was  set  up  prior  to  the  manifesta- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  flesh  ;  whether  in  Abraham, 
as  the  father  of  the  faithful,  or  in  the  descendants  of  Ja- 
cob, or  at  what  period  of  the  Old  Testament  history,  it 
is  not  material  to  our  present  purpose  to  determine.  The 
design  of  God  in  the  erection  of  the  church,  Avas,  in  the 
first  stage  of  its  existence,  to  preserv  e  a  holy  seed  for 
his  worship  and  service  in  the  midst  of  an  idolatrous  and 
wicked  world  ;  to  receive  and  transmit  to  future  genera- 
ions  the  revelation  of  God's  will  to  man  in  his  fallen 


5 


state ;  and  ultimately  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  and  in- 
fluence of  religion  throughout  the  whole  earth. 

Although  the  holy  spirit,  speaking  by  the  mouth  of 
David,  and  the  prophets  subsequent  to  his  day,  foretold 
a  future  period,  when  the  church  should  appear  in  the 
greatness  and  glory  to  which  God  had  destined  her,  his 
ultimate  design,  in  the  erection  of  the  church,  was  not 
communicated  to  the  Old  Testament  saints,  in  the  form 
of  a  command  to  extend  her  bounds  and  influence,  so  as 
to  embrace  the  whole  family  of  mankind.  This  was  re- 
served until  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  Christ  in  the 
world,  and  then  was  the  command  given  by  himself  to 
his  disciples  to  teach  all  nations,  and  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  every  creature.  Yet  God,  who  sees  and  compre- 
hends all  things,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  so  con- 
stituted the  church,  at  its  first  erection,  as  to  combine  in 
it  the  principles  of  that  moral  power  which  he  saw  to  be 
necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  ultimate  design. 
The  church  was  to  be  the  instrument,  in  his  hands,  of 
resisting  the  assaults  of  wicked  men  and  the  hosts  of 
hell,  and  eventually  to  vanquish  them,  and  dehver  the 
world  from  the  thraldom  of  Satan  and  sin,  by  bringing  it 
under  the  lawful  and  happy  dominion  of  the  Saviour. 

Whenever  power,  either  of  a  physical  or  of  a  moral 
nature,  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  members,  it  is  essential 
that  there  should  be  between  them  all  that  union  of  which 
they  are  capable.  And  God  has  most  unequivocally  de- 
clared his  mind,  that  the  individuals  composing  his  church , 
should  be  held  together  by  a  strong,  indissoluble  bond  of 
union. 

1.  God  has  constituted  the  church  one  and  indivisible. 
It  has  but  one  head,  and  that  is  Christ.    Col.  i.  18. 
Under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  prior  to  the  build- 
1* 


6 


ing  of  the  temple,  the  manifestation  of  God's  glory  was 
in  the  cloud  and  in  the  tabernacle.  There  was  but  one 
cloud,  and  there  was  only  one  tabernacle,  nor  was  there 
more  than  one  ark  of  the  covenant.  And  thus  was  the 
unity  of  the  church  represented  in  that  period.  After 
the  children  of  Israel  had  taken  full  possession  of  the 
land  of  promise,  the  unity  of  the  church  was  demonstrat- 
ed by  the  erection  of  one  temple ;  and  to  this  one  tem- 
ple all  the  tribes  of  Israel  were  commanded  to  resort  for 
the  pubUc  worship  of  J ehovah. 

If  the  unity  of  the  church  constituted  any  portion  of  its 
excellence,  beauty,  or  strength,  under  the  first  dispensa- 
tions, it  would  be  strange  indeed,  if,  under  the  New  Tes- 
tament, we  had  found  a  warrant  for  the  severance  of  this 
union.  In  the  history  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  we  find 
no  intimation  from  him  that  the  unity  of  the  church  was 
not  to  be  preserved,  nor  any  warrant  for  a  division  of  the 
church  into  distinct  denominations,  sects,  or  parties. 
His  intercessory  prayer  for  his  church,  which  consists  of 
all  believers,  is,  "  that  they  all  nimj  be  one,"  as  the  father 
was  in  him  and  he  in  the  father,  "  that  the  world  may  be- 
lieve that  thou  hast  sent  me."  John,  xvii.  21.  And  in 
the  next  verse  he  says,  "  And  the  glory  which  thou  ga- 
vest  me  I  have  given  them,  that  they  may  be  one,  even 
as  we  are  one."  These  words  do  most  evidently  con- 
vey the  idea  of  a  most  intimate  union  between  the  follow- 
ers of  Christ,  even  as  that  which  subsisted  between  him 
and  his  father ;  and  this  union  was  to  be  visible  to  all 
mankind,  that  the  world,  seeing  the  union  of  his  disci- 
ples, might  believe  that  the  father  had  sent  him.  An 
union  of  heart,  merely  without  an  open  visible  union, 
which  the  world  would  perceive,  could  h&xe  no  influence 
in  convincing  the  world  of  the  divine  mission  of  Christ. 


7 


Valuable  and  indispensable  as  an  union  of  heart  among 
believers  is  to  the  prosperity  and  beauty  of  the  church,  it 
is  the  open,  visible,  and  known  union  of  the  disciples, 
that  must  conquer  the  prejudices  and  convince  the  under- 
standings of  the  men  of  the  world  into  the  belief  that 
Jesus  Christ  came  from  God.  There  is  no  force,  no 
appropriateness,  (be  it  spoken  with  reverence,)  in  the 
prayer,  if  an  union  of  heart  is  all  that  is  asked.  No ; 
this  prayer  of  our  Lord  will  not  be  answered  ;  the  avow- 
ed object  for  which  he  desired  that  his  people  might  be 
one,  will  not  be  accomplished,  until  Christians  shall  be 
one  in  affection,  in  counsel,  in  action,  and  in  name. 

Though  the  personal  ministry  of  Christ  was  confined 
to  the  Jewish  nation,  he  knew  that  under  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  spirit  and  through  the  preaching  of  the  Apos- 
tles, the  Gentiles  would  also  be  called  into  the  church, 
which  before  that  period  embraced  only  the  children  of 
Israel.  When  the  Gentiles  should  thus  be  brought  to 
embi'ace  the  gospel,  there  was  not  to  be  a  Gentile  church 
as  distinguished  from  that  of  the  Jews,  and  a  line  of  di- 
vision drawn  between  them  ;  but  they  together  were  to 
form  one  church.  In  express  reference  to  that  event 
the  Saviour  says,  John  x.  16,  "  Other  sheep  I  have 
which  are  not  of  this  fold ;  them  also  must  I  bring  in, 
and  they  shall  hear  my  voice  ;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold 
and  one  shepherd."  And  after  the  gospel  had,  subse- 
quent to  the  death  of  the  Saviour,  been  propagated  among 
the  Gentiles,  and  many  in  the  city  of  Ephesus  had  been 
received  into  the  family  of  believers,  St.  Paul,  in  the  se- 
cond chapter  of  his  epistle,  addressing  the  Ephesian 
converts,  says,  "  But  now  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  some- 
time were  afar  off,  are  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
for  he  is  our  peace,  who  hath  made  both  one,  and  hath 


8 


broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  between  us ; 
having  abolished  in  his  flesh  the  enmity,  even  the  law  of 
commandments  contained  in  ordinances,  for  to  make  in 
himself  of  twain  one  neio  man,  so  making  peace ;  and 
that  he  might  reconcile  both  unto  God  in  one  body  by 
the  cross,  having  slain  the  enmity  thereby ;  and  came 
and  preached  peace  to  you  which  were  afar  off  and  to 
them  that  were  nigh.  For  by  him  we  both  have  access 
by  one  spirit  unto  the  father." 

The  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  the  church,  so  plain- 
ly declared  by  the  Saviour,  was  taught  and  ear- 
nestly inculcated  by  his  Apostles,  und^r  the  plenary  in- 
spiration of  the  Holy  Ghost.  St.  Paul  represents  the 
unity  of  the  church  under  the  figure  of  a  human  body, 
consisting,  indeed,  of  many  members,  but  between  which 
there  is  an  intimate  union  and  necessary  dependence, 
and  between  which  a  schism  cannot  take  place,  without 
endangering  the  destruction  of  the  body  itself.  "  For  as 
the  body  is  one  and  hath  many  members,  and  all  the 
members  of  that  one  body  being  many  are  one  body  ;  so 
also  is  Christ."  1  Cor.  xii.  12.  "  For  the  body  is  not 
one  member  but  many.  If  the  foot  shall  say,  because  I 
am  not  the  hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body  ;  is  it  therefore 
not  of  the  body?"  v.  14,  15.  "Now  are  they  many 
members  yet  but  one  body,  and  the  eye  cannot  say  to  the 
hand  I  have  no  need  of  thee,  nor  again  the  head  to  the 
feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you."  v.  20,  21.  "  That  there 
should  be  no  schism  in  the  body,  but  that  the  members 
should  have  the  same  care  one  for  another.  And  whe- 
ther one  member  suffers,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it. 
Now  ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  members  in  parti- 
cular."   v.  25,  26,  27. 

When  the  same  Apostle  reproves  the  Corinthians  for 


9 


their  contentions  and  divisions,  he  proves  to  them  the  in- 
admissibility and  absurdity  of  such  divisions,  by  putting 
the  emphatic  question,  "  Is  Christ  divided?"  leaving  it 
to  themselves  to  draw  the  inference  irresistibly  flowing 
from  it,  that  as  Christ,  the  head  of  the  church,  is  one  and 
indivisible,  so  must  the  members  of  Christ,  constituting 
the  church,  be  one  among  themselves,  as  well  as  one 
with  him.  1  Cor.  i.  10  to  13.  Believers  are  declared 
by  St.  Paul  to  be  members  of  Christ's  body.  Eph.  v. 
30.  "  For  we  are  members  of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and 
of  his  bones.  1  Cor.  xii.  27.  "Ye  are  the  body  of 
Christ  and  members  in  particular."  And  they  are  de- 
clared to  be  members  one  of  another,  constituting  the 
body  of  Christ.  Rom.  xii.  4,  5.  "  For  as  we  have 
many  members  in  one  body,  and  all  members  have  not 
the  same  office,  so  we  being  many  are  one  body  in  Christ, 
and  every  one  members  one  of  another."  The  saints 
are  declared  to  be  the  family  of  God  on  earth,  excluding 
the  idea  that  there  may  be  more  than  a  single  family  con- 
stituting the  church  of  Christ.  And  in  the  first  chapter 
of  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  the  Apostle  be- 
seeches them,  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
that  they  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there  be  no 
divisions  among  them  ;  but  that  they  be  perfectly  joined 
together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgement. 
1  Cor.  i.  10. 

2.  The  division  of  the  church  into  sects  is  a  violation 
of  its  constitutional  unity. 

Having  proved  the  unity  of  the  church  by  the  consti- 
tution of  G  od  himself,  we  proceed  to  show  that  its  divi- 
sion into  denominations  and  sects,  is  a  violation  of  this 
imity.  A  division  into  congregations  cannot  be  under- 
stood to  be  a  breach  of  this  unity,  when  made  for  the 


10 


sake  of  local  convenience,  and  in  the  spirit  of  love ;  but 
we  speak  of  those  divisions  which  result  from  disagree- 
ment and  contention,  and  from  the  assumed  impossibility 
or  difficulty  of  remaining  together  in  peace. 

The  unity  of  the  church  was  understood  in  this  sense 
by  Christ  himself;  and  it  was  so  understood  by  his  Apos- 
tles after  his  ascension  into  heaven,  and  the  plenary  ef- 
fusion of  the  holy  spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  That 
some  difference  would  arise  among  true  believers,  on 
doctrinal  and  practical  subjects,  was  known  to  the  Sa- 
viour and  his  Apostles  ;  for  they  were  well  acquainted 
with  the  imperfections  of  the  human  understanding  ;  but 
neither  he  nor  they  could  have  suffered  the  thought  of  a 
division  of  the  church,  for  such  a  cause,  to  have  been 
harboured  for  a  moment  in  the  minds  of  Christians. 

Every  reader  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  knows  that 
an  unhappy  disagreement  arose  between  Paul,  who  was 
specially  designated  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  some  of  the  Jews  in  those  parts  where  he  minister- 
ed. When  the  news  of  this  disagreement  was  carried  to 
Jerusalem,  some  of  the  Apostles  who  laboured  in  that 
city  and  in  the  adjoining  country  of  the  Jews,  took  sides 
against  Paul.  It  is  evident,  from  the  fifteenth  chapter  of 
the  Acts,  taken  in  connexion  with  the  second  chapter  of 
the  epistle  to  the  Galatians,  that  this  matter  caused  a 
strong  excitement,  easily  accounted  for  from  the  nature  of 
the  subject,  and  the  circumstances  attending  the  case. 
But  neither  party  took  the  ground  that  they  might  be  con- 
sidered as  belonging,  one  to  the  Jewish  and  the  other  to 
the  Gentile  church,  and  so  each  pursue  his  own  course 
independently  of  the  other.  No ;  they  knew  they  must 
be  united ;  that  they  had  no  right  to  rend  asunder  the 
church  which  God  had  joined  together  in  the  bond  of  in- 


11 


violablc  union  ;  and  that  by  suffering  the  commencement 
of  schisms,  a  train  ot"e  vils  would  bebrought  upon  the  church 
of  which  they  were  unable  to  calculate  the  amount  of  du- 
ration. Paul,  taking  with  him  Barnabas  and  Titus,  went 
to  Jerusalem,  and  conferred  with  the  other  Apostles  ;  an 
amicable  understanding  was,  after  considerable  diffi- 
culty, effected,  and  the  threatened  rupture  happily  avoid- 
ed ;  the  parties  acting  in  the  spirit  of  conciliation  and 
forbearance. 

Whenever  dissentions  arise  in  communities,  a  separa- 
tion between  the  parties  at  variance,  is,  to  the  corrupt 
mind  of  man,  a  natural  suggestion.  This  separation 
may  often  be  proper  and  harmless  in  those  communities 
which  are  not  designed  to  be  of  permanent  duration.  And 
the  seeds  of  disunion  being  easily  sown  in  the  church, 
there  has  been  from  the  beginning,  notwithstanding  the 
evident  design  of  God  that  the  church  should  endure  to 
the  end  of  the  world,  a  disposition  for  one  to  say  to  the 
other,  in  rase  of  any  disagreement,  "  Stand  by  thyself." 
Had  Paul  yielded  to  this  spirit,  how  plausible  might  have 
seemed  to  him  the  expediency  of  setting  up  himself  as  the 
head  of  the  Gentile  church,  leaving  John,  Peter,  James, 
and  the  other  Apostles,  to  manage  the  concerns  of  the 
Jewish  church  ?  He  had  been  chosen  and  sent  by  Christ 
himself  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Heathen,  and  in  the 
course  of  his  ministry  among  them,  he  was  constantly 
vexed  by  the  Judaising  teachers,  who  sought  to  bring  his 
converts  under  the  yoke  of  the  ritual  law,  while  he  was 
anxiously  desirous  that  they  should  enjoy  the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  had  made  them  free.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  separate  Gentile  church  might  have  seemed  to 
him  the  most  effectual  measure  to  destroy  the  influence 
of  those  teachers  who  so  much  annoyed  him,  as  well  as 


12 


disturbed  and  injured  the  converts  under  his  ministry. 

And  the  difference  between  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles  in 
their  national  character,  education,  manners,  habits,  and 
other  circumstances,  might  have  presented  an  ample 
apology  to  human  reason  for  a  separation  from  the  mother 
church.  But  Paul  knew  that  the  church  was  one  by  the 
constitution  of  Christ  its  head ;  and  that  any  division  of 
it  would  have  been  utterly  unlawful  and  inadmissible. 
He  knew  it  would  be  presumptuous  impiety  in  him  to  re- 
build the  partition  wall  which  Jesus  Christ,  by  his  death, 
had  broken  down ;  and  that  he  might  not  put  asunder 
what  his  divine  master  had  joined  together. 

The  same  Apostle,  as  appears  from  his  acts  and  hia 
epistles,  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  value  of  the 
church's  unity,  and  the  calamities  that  would  be  conse- 
quent on  its  violation.  His  whole  soul  seems  to  have  been 
burdened  with  the  subject.  With  what  earnestness  does 
he  caution  the  believers,  to  whom  he  addresses  his  epis- 
tles, against  this  principle  of  division  ?  He  tells  the  Cor- 
inthians it  had  been  declared  to  him  that  there  were  con- 
tentions among  them,  for  that  every  one  of  them  said,  I 
am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos,  and  I  of  Cephus,  and  I  of 
Christ.  He  also  tells  them,  "  Ye  are  yet  carnal ;  for 
whereas  there  is  among  you  envying  and  strife  £md  di- 
visions, are  ye  not  carnal  ?  For  while  one  saith,  I  am  of 
Paul,  and  another  I  am  of  Apollos,  are  ye  not  carnal  ?" 
And  again,  "  /  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and 
that  there  be  no  divisions  among  you,  but  that  ye  he  per- 
fectly joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same 
judgement."  The  Apostle  does  not  assume  to  heal 
their  dissentions  by  interposing  his  authority  to  settle  the 
question  which  party  was  right,  or  wherein  the  other  was 


13 


wrong;  but  he  goes  to  the  root  of  the  evil,  showing  that 
the  very  fact  of  the  disunion  of  Christians  evinces  the 
carnality,  the  unholy  temper  or  habit  of  mind,  into  which 
they  had  suffered  themselves  to  be  betrayed.  The  Cor- 
inthians doubtless  believed,  as  the  different  denomina- 
tions at  this  day  believe  in  regard  to  themselves,  that 
they  had  sufficient  reason  for  separating  from  those  who 
agreed  not  with  them  in  their  preferences  ;  but  the  Apos- 
tle does  not  deem  it  necessary  for  his  argument  to  de- 
mand of  them  what  was  the  difference  between  himself 
and  Apollos  and  Cephas ;  nor  does  he  instruct  them 
that  they  were  disputing  about  trifles  or  minor  differen- 
ces. He  presses  upon  them  the  unity  of  the  church, 
and  the  sin  and  absurdity  of  a  division  of  it  into  distinct 
denominations  arising  from  strife  and  disagreement.  He 
does  not  admit  one  party  to  be  less  guilty  than  the  other. 
The  one  that  said  I  belong  to  Paul's  persuasion,  and  he 
who  said  I  believe  with  Apollos,  and  the  third  who  en- 
listed himself  among  the  admirers  of  Cephas,  and  even 
those,  who,  in  the  spirit  and  pride  of  sect  and  party,  boas- 
ted of  their  superiority  to  the  rest  by  claiming  to  belong 
to  Christ, — all  are  alike  reproved  as  either  not  under- 
standing, or  in  their  unholy  excitements  for  getting  the 
relation  in  which  they  stood  to  each  other  as  members 
of  the  same  body  of  Christ,  and  "  members  one  of  anoth- 
er." He  asks  with  abruptness  and  with  great  pertinen- 
cy and  emphasis,  "  Is  Christ  divided  V  As  if  he  bad 
said,  "  If  there  may  be  two  or  more  churches,  either  all 
but  one  must  be  without  a  head,  or  the  head  must  be 
divided  into  as  many  fragments  as  there  are  churches, 
both  of  which  are  equally  impossible." 

This  vital  principle  was  deeply  engraven  on  the  minds 
of  tlie  primitive  Christians,  no  such  thing  being  known 
2 


14 


as  the  separation  of  one  body  of  believers  from  another 
on  the  ground  of  difference  in  matters  of  opinion,  or  on 
points  of  practice.  The  church  continued  one  and  un- 
divided through  the  age  of  the  apostles,  and  after  the 
death  of  the  last  surviving  apostle,  even  to  the  middle 
of  the  third  century.  In  that  period  the  gospel  had  been 
propagated,  and  the  church  extended  throughout  the  in- 
habited world,  and  yet  no  such  thing  as  a  distinct  de- 
nomination of  Christians  was  known.  The  church,  says 
Milnor,  "  was  not  broken  into  handfuls  of  distinct  sects 
and  parties,  all  glorying  in  having  something  peculiarly 
excellent,  and  prone  to  despise  their  neighbours."  See 
Milnor's  church  history,  vol.  I.  275,  276.  And  why 
during  that  long  period  of  more  than  two  hundred  years, 
subsequent  to  the  death  of  Christ,  did  the  church  remain 
unbroken  ?  Was  it  because  men  gave  but  little  attention 
to  religion  ?  Never  has  it  so  much  engrossed  the  minds 
of  men  as  during  that  affe  of  the  world.  Was  it  because 
the  gospel  had  not  spread  to  a  great  distance,  so  as 
to  come  in  contact  with  the  minds  of  men  of  various 
habits,  under  different  degrees  of  intellectual  culture, 
and  hving  in  different  parts  of  the  earth  ?  It  had  spread 
from  Jerusalem  to  the  ends  of  the  world,  and  the  church 
embraced  within  her  bosom  Jews  and  Gentiles,  philoso- 
phers, princes  and  peasants  of  every  clime,  combining 
all  the  elements  necessary  to  the  production  of  schism. 
Was  it  because  the  men  at  that  period  were  all  infallibly 
taught  and  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  maintenance 
of  the  same  opinions,  and  the  pursuit  of  the  same  prac- 
tices ?  Not  so :  scarcely  had  the  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel commenced,  before  differences  of  sentiment  and 
practice  occurred  between  Christians.  This  is  evident 
from  the  epistles  of  the  apostles  Paul,  James,  Peter, 


15 


John,  and  Jude.  There  were  even  damnable  heresies 
broached  in  the  church  as  well  as  minor  differences,  in 
the  days  of  the  apostles  ;  and  in  the  long  period  from 
their  day  to  the  middle  of  the  third  century,  the  world 
was  inhabited  by  an  intellectual  population,  whom,  it  is 
impossible  to  believe,  were  unanimous  in  their  religious 
opinions  and  practices.  What  then  was  it  that  kept 
Christieins  together  in  one  church  1  It  was  the  strength 
of  the  principle  which  they  believed  —  which  they  knew 
to  be  according  to  the  constitution  of  God,  that  the 
church  is  one,  and  any  division  of  it  wholly  inadmissi- 
ble ;  and  their  faithful  adherence  to  the  directions  of  the 
scriptures  that  heretics  must  be  cast  out  of  the  church, 
and  that  the  principle  of  forbearance  must  be  applied  to 
differences,  which  are  not  of  fundamental  importance. 
Accordingly,  we  find  that  all  who  were  believed  to  be  the 
real  disciples  of  Christ,  having  been  born  of  his  spirit, 
were  received  into  the  church,  and  heretics  were  reject- 
ed; and  this  line  of  distinction  was  found  sufficiently 
precise.    Milnor's  church  history,  vol.  I.  154. 

The  adherence  to  these  sound  scriptural  principles 
became,  however,  in  process  of  time,  weakened,  as  the 
bond  of  charity  which  held  the  body  of  believers  togeth- 
er, was  relaxed.  The  thing  so  much  dreaded  and  so 
long  resisted,  at  last  happened.  The  church  became 
divided.  Ichabod  was  written  upon  its  banner.  Its  glory 
had  truly  departed.  The  constitution  of  the  church  was 
violated,  and  as  might  have  been  expected,  one  disaster 
after  another  befel  the  church  until  the  man  of  sin  ob- 
tained the  ascendency,  and  brought  the  dark  ages  upon 
the  world.  Long,  very  long  was  the  earth  enveloped  in 
the  gloom  of  night,  even  until  the  reformation  from  po- 
pery ushered  in  the  light  of  morning.  That  morning  was 


16 


bright.  The  reformed  church  remained  one  for  many 
years,  growing  with  the  increase  of  God.  Although  mi- 
nor differences  arose,  they  were  not  permitted  to  rend 
her  asunder.  But  after  the  lapse  of  years,  the  spirit  of 
controversy  was  suffered  to  prevail  among  the  succes- 
sors of  the  reformers,  and  in  the  heat  of  their  disputa- 
tions, they  separated  into  different  sects,  according  to 
their  varying  creeds.  The  parties,  however,  were  very 
reluctant  to  commence  the  business  of  separation.  Their 
consciences  were  ill  at  ease,  knowing  as  they  did  the 
unscriptural  character  of  any  division  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  The  reformers  themselves,  when  they  withdrew 
from  the  Church  of  Rome,  did  not  do  it  on  the  ground 
that  it  is  lawful  for  Christians  to  separate  from  each  oth- 
er. On  the  contrary,  the  only  justification  they  avowed 
for  leaving  that  church,  was  that  she  was  not  the  church 
of  Christ.  They  were  agreed  that  the  church  is  one, 
and  that  any  division  of  that  church  is  a  breach  of  its 
unity. 

Having  shown  in  what  sense  the  unity  of  the  church 
was  understood  by  the  apostles,  by  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians of  the  three  first  centuries,  and  by  the  reformers  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  we  proceed  to  show  that  the  con- 
stitution of  the  church  admits  of  no  other  exposition. 
This  constitution  we  have  seen  is  coeval  with  the  church 
itself ;  and  in  the  intercessory  prayer  of  the  Saviour,  it 
is  recognised  as  applicable  to  the  Christian  church,  era- 
bracing  all,  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  who  then  believed, 
or  who  should  thereafter  believe  in  his  name ;  and  for 
them  he  prays  that  they  all  may  be  one  even  as  he  and 
the  Father  were  one.  That  it  is  the  duty  of  believers  to 
be  united  in  the  sense  here  expressed,  will  not  be  deni- 
ed.   The  inquiry  therefore  is,  what  is  the  nature  of  that 


17 


union  which  Christ  prays  may  subsist  among  his  disci- 
ples ?  It  is  plain  that  he  cannot  be  understood  to  refer 
to  that  ineffable  union  which  subsits  between  himself  and 
the  Father,  as  two  of  the  persons  in  the  Trinity,  because, 
of  this  union  his  creatures  are  not  capable  ;  but  he  must 
be  understood  as  speaking  of  a  union  which  may  be  pre- 
dicated of  mankind  ;  and  as  praying  for  a  union  among 
his  people  in  all  those  respects  in  which  men  can  be 
bound  together  in  the  same  sense  that  he  and  the  Father 
are  united.  Men  are  capable  of  a  union  in  feeling,  in 
counsel,  in  action,  and  in  name  ;  and  if  Jesus  and  his 
Father  are  in  these  respects  one,  his  disciples,  if  there  be 
any  meaning  in  words,  are  bound  to  be,  also,  one  in  the 
same  sense.  For  the  Saviour  says  in  the  twenty  sec- 
ond verse,  "  And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me  I  have 
given  them  ;  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one." 
There  cannot,  then,  be  a  doubt  that  he  intended  to  pray 
for,  and  inculcate  upon  his  disciples,  a  union  of  the 
same  kind  and  nature  in  all  respects,  as  that  which  sub- 
sists between  him  and  his  Father,  with  the  single  excep- 
tion above  mentioned,  arising  from  the  subject  matter. 

In  what  sense,  then,  were  the  Saviour  and  his  Father 
one.  Independently  of  their  mysterious  union  above  al- 
luded to,  they  were  one  in  feeling,  in  counsel,  in  action, 
and  in  name.  They  are  wnifed  together  in  the  feeling  of 
love  one  to  another.  So  must  his  children  be.  But  so 
they  cannot  be  when  divided  into  distinct  denomina- 
tions ;  for  not  only  do  such  divisions  spring  from  the 
want  of  that  degree  of  mutual  love  and  forbearance  ne- 
cessary to  hold  them  together  in  the  bond  of  union,  but 
they  tend  to  weaken  and  destroy  what  of  the  principle  of 
love  may  be  remaining,  and  produce  the  contrary  affec- 
2* 


18 


tions  of  opposition  or  indifference,  alienation  of  heart  and 
hatred. 

Jesus  Christ  and  his  Father  are  one  in  counsel,  there 
being  no  discord  or  contrariety  in  their  plans.  So  it 
ought  to  be  with  those  who  believe  in  the  Saviour.  They 
should  speak  the  same  thing  and  be  perfectly  joined  to- 
gether in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgement.  1 
Cor.  i.  10.  But  this  cannot  be  predicated  of  believers 
belonging  to  opposing  sects.  Their  counsels  and  their 
plans  are  not  in  unison  ;  and  the  very  reason  why  they 
have  separated  is,  that  they  could  not  hold  counsel  to- 
gether, because  of  their  various  views  and  feelings. 

The  Father  and  his  beloved  Son  are  one  in  action. 
The  works  that  Jesus  seeth  the  Father  do,  these  he  do- 
eth  also.  John,  V.  19.  They  always  act  in  concert.  So  it 
ought  to  be  with  believers  ;  they  should  stand  fast  in 
one  spirit,  and  in  one  mind,  strive  together  for  the  faith 
of  the  gospel.  Phil.  ii.  2.  But  this  cannot  be  asserted 
of  Christians  of  different  persuasions.  They  have  array- 
ed themselves  under  different  banners,  manifesting  that 
they  are  not  willing  to  act  together ;  and  in  point  of  fact 
each  acts  independently  of  the  other.  They  do  not 
strive  together  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  The  faith 
which  is  propagated  by  the  one  is  denied  and  opposed  by 
the  other.  What  one  builds,  another  destroys,  for  the 
plain  reason  that  what  promotes  the  prosperity  of  one, 
often  tends  to  the  injury  and  even  destruction  of  the 
other. 

Our  Saviour  and  his  Father  are  one  in  name.  There 
is  indeed,  a  variety  of  names  given  to  them  in  the 
Scriptures,  expressive  of  the  several  perfections  of  their 
character,  office,  or  appropriate  work,  not  indicating  op- 
position or  contrariety,  but  the  most  perfect  harmony. 


19 

So  it  should  be  with  the  members  of  Christ's  church. 
One  name  ought  to  suffice  for  them  all ;  and  if  more 
than  one  name  be  applied  to  them,  these  names  should 
convey  to  the  mind  a  harmonious  and  not  a  discordant 
sound  ;  as  that  of  believers,  Christians,  disciples,  saints, 
children  of  God,  the  faithful,  the  just,  and  the  like  ;  all 
of  which  are  in  strict  accordance  with  the  characters  and 
relation  to  Christ  which  they  ought  to  exhibit.  But  how 
is  it  in  point  of  fact  ?  The  very  names  by  which  Chris- 
tians of  different  denominations  are  known,  which  they 
themselves  have  assumed,  and  of  which  all  sectarians 
are  proud,  are  names  of  distinction,  to  show  the  hne  of 
division  between  one  and  the  other.  As  the  Corinthi- 
ans were  some  of  the  party  of  Paul,  some  of  Apollos, 
and  some  of  Cephas,  so  Christians  now  call  themselves 
Calvinists,  Lutherans,  Armenians,  Presbyterians-,  Con- 
gregationa'ists,  Episcopalians,  Methodists,  Baptists, 
Quakers,  all  indicating  the  absence,  instead  of  subsis- 
tence of  union  between  them.  Should  the  apostle  Paul 
now  arise  from  the  dead,  and  under  a  commission  from 
his  divine  master,  visit  the  churches  of  Christendom, 
what  surprise  would  he  not  manifest  at  finding  these  dis- 
cordant names  among  the  professed  disciples  of  his 
Lord  !  Would  he  not  demand  of  us,  as  he  did  of  the 
Corinthians  in  regard  to  their  divisions,  who  is  Calvin, 
other  than  a  minister  of  Christ,  that  you  call  yourselves 
after  his  name,  as  though  he  were  your  master?  What 
13  Luther,  more  than  any  servant  of  the  Lord,  that  you 
should  take  his  name  upon  you  1  And  who  were  Armin- 
ius  and  Wesley  ?  Were  they  more  than  servants  of  the 
Lord,  as  you  all  ought  to  be  1  Are  each  of  these  men 
entitled  to  the  same  honour  with  Christ  himself,  that 
God's  own  people  should  be  named  after  them,  even 
aa  the  disciples  were  first  called  Christians  at  Anti- 


26 


och,  to  denote  their  subjection  to  him  ?  Is  Christ  divi- 
ded ?  And  how  many  Christ's  have  ye  ?  Into  how  many 
fractions  have  ye  divided  your  blessed  Saviour?  and  into 
how  many  more  will  you  yet  divide  him,  before  your  di- 
visions shall  have  an  end  1  Know  ye  not  that  the  church 
constitutes  but  one  body,  of  which  Christ  himself  is  the 
head,  and  of  which  you  are  all  members?  Have  ye  not 
read  in  the  Scriptures  that  there  must  be  no  divisions 
among  you  ? 

Were  there  room  for  any  remaining  doubt  whether 
the  division  into  sects  is  a  violation  of  its  constitutional 
unity,  we  might  adduce  further  evidence,  from  a  more 
particular  consideration  of  the  figures  of  speech,  employ- 
ed by  the  Saviour  and  his  apostles,  to  express  the  unity 
of  the  church. 

When  our  Lord  represents  himself  as  the  vine,  he  re- 
presents his  disciples  as  the  branches.  Hereby  is  expres- 
sed, not  only  an  intimate  union  between  himself  as  the 
vine  and  his  disciples  as  the  branches,  but  also,  an  inti- 
mate and  inseparable  union  between  the  branches  them- 
selves. While  the  branches  remain  attached  to  the  vine, 
they  draw  their  nourishment  from  it,  and  each  branch 
communicates  of  its  support  to  all  the  rest ;  but  by  de- 
taching one  of  the  branches,  its  union  with  the  vine  and 
the  other  branches  is  destroyed,  and  its  nourishment 
from  the  parent  stock,  and  the  benefit  it  receives  from 
the  other  branches  must  cease.  How  absurd  would  be 
the  idea,  that  this  detached  branch  should  still  claim  to 
derive  its  nourishment  from  the  parent  stock,  and  to  be 
yet  united  to  the  other  branches  !  Not  less  absurd  is  the 
idea,  that  a  portion  of  the  church,  after  it  is  detached  from 
the  rest  by  its  formation  into  a  distinct  sect,  should  yet 
claim  to  be  united  to  those  from  whom  they  are  torn  away. 


21 


Another  figure  employed  to  represent  the  unity  of  the 
church,  as  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  remark,  is 
that  of  the  human  body  composed  of  all  its  various  mem- 
bers. There  is  an  intimate  union  between  all  the  parts 
of  the  body ;  the  severance  of  one  of  the  members  is  the 
destruction  of  that  member,  and  mutilates  the  body. 
Between  all  the  members  too,  there  is  a  mutual  depen- 
dence ;  one  cannot  say  to  the  other,  I  have  no  need  of 
thee  ;  and  when  one  suffers,  the  others  also  suffer  with 
it,  as  is  beautifully  and  strongly  illustrated  in  the  first 
epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  already  referred  to.  It  would 
be  most  absurd  for  the  foot  or  any  other  member  to  in- 
sist on  a  severance  from  the  body,  because  of  a  lack  of 
harmony  between  it  and  the  other  members  ;  and  after 
its  severance  to  claim  that  it  still  maintains  its  former 
union  with  the  body.  Equally  absurd  is  it  for  any  one 
or  any  number  of  believers  to  separate  themselves  from 
the  church  because  of  the  want  of  union  in  feeling, 
mind,  opinion,  counsel  or  action  between  them  and  the 
other  members  of  the  church;  and  alike  absurd  is  it  that 
those  who  are  thus  separated  should  claim  that  they  are, 
notwithstanding,  stiil  maintaining  their  union  with  those 
from  whom  they  have  been  severed. 

Again,  believers  are  called  the  family  of  God  on 
earth.  A  well  ordered  family  will  be  harmonious  in 
their  feelings,  views,  plans,  and  actions.  So  long  as 
it  is  the  design  of  the  institution,  that  a  human  family 
shall  remain  together,  they  will  so  remain,  promoting 
each  other's  comfort  and  happiness,  and  qualifying  the 
different  members  of  it  for  the  parts  they  are  expected  to 
act  in  life,  after  their  retirement  at  the  proper  time,  from 
the  family  circle.  They  do  not  separate  for  the  reason 
that  they  cannot  live  together  in  peace  and  love.  When- 


22 


ever  a  separation  for  this  cause  actually  takes  place,  the 
design  of  the  institution  of  families  is  subverted,  the  family 
loses  its  character,  and  is  disgraced  even  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world.  It  was  the  design  of  God,  clearly  expressed 
in  the  Scriptures,  that  the  church  should  always  be  one  ; 
that  all  Christians  in  every  place  should  worship,  pray, 
render  thanksgiving  and  praise  together,  except  only 
where  numbers  and  distance  of  place  prevent ;  that  they 
should  counsel  and  act  together,  for  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners, for  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  whole  family  of 
believers,  and  quaUfying  each  member  for  a  place,  which, 
after  their  removal  from  the  family  of  the  saints  below, 
they  hope  to  occupy  in  the  family  of  God  in  heaven. 
There  ought  not  to  be  a  brealung  up  of  the  family  of 
God's  church  for  the  reason  that  its  members  cannot 
harmonize  together,  and  whenever  such  an  event  does 
in  point  of  fact  occur,  the  family  is  disgraced  in  the  eye 
of  God,  forasmuch  as  they  have  subverted  the  constitu- 
tion which  he  has  himself  ordained  for  his  church. 

Another  expressive  figure  employed  by  the  Holy  Spi- 
rit in  speaking  of  the  church,  is  that  of  a  sheepfold. 
Mark  the  expression,  a  sheep  fold.  Not  an  enclosure 
for  dogs,  wolves,  or  tigers,  between  whom  it  is  necessa- 
ry to  build  walls  of  great  strength  and  height  to  keep 
them  from  biting,  tearing,  and  destroying  one  another ; 
but  of  harmless,  peaceable  sheep,  that  may  safely  be  kept 
together  in  flocks,  be  they  never  so  large,  and  which 
are  divided  into  several  folds,  only  for  the  purpose  o*f  sup- 
plying to  them  with  more  facility  their  food,  and  their 
other  necessities  and  conveniences.  And  must  it  bo 
confessed,  that  the  sheep  of  Christ  cannot  Uve  together 
in  peace  ?  Do  they  embody  so  much  of  the  nature  of 
the  ferocious  brute,  as  that  the  only  means  of  preventing 


23 


one  from  destroying  another,  is  to  keep  them  at  a  safe 
distance?  Even  thieves  and  robbers  can  Hve  in  bands 
of  brotherhood  in  the  same  den,  with  nothing  but  the  tie 
of  interest  and  common  danger  to  keep  them  together. 
But  the  children  of  Christ's  kingdom  cannot  hve  in  a 
state  of  union,  aUhough  they  are  exposed  to  hosts  of 
common  enemies,  and  all  have  the  same  everlasting  in- 
terests, and  ought  to  be  bound  in  the  same  bond  of  love, 
and  all  the  holy  ties  of  religion.  What  a  libel  on  the 
character  of  Christianity  !  What  a  perverted  exhibition 
of  its  nature  and  influence  ! 

THE  BOND  OF  UNION. 

We  have  thus  seen  that  God  tolerates  no  divisions  in 
his  church,  having  constituted  it  one  and  indivisible.  He 
well  knew  at  the  same  time  that  the  church  was  compo- 
sed and  would  be  composed  of  fallible  men,  who  needed 
every  guard  and  help  to  keep  them  in  the  bond  of  unity, 
and  preserve  them  from  the  danger  of  schism.  He  has, 
therefore,  given  abundant  directions  in  his  holy  word,  to 
provide  against  this  danger,  and  which,  had  they  been 
obeyed,  in  the  measure  in  which  men  have  ability  to 
obey  them,  would  have  preserved  the  unity  of  the  church. 

The  great  principle  inculcated  in  the  Scriptures  for 
maintaining  the  unity  of  the  church,  is  love. 

God  himself  is  love.  The  union  between  the  believer 
and  his  Lord,  is  a  union  of  love  and  confidence ;  and 
Christians  are  bound  to  live  in  love  to  each  other  in  the 
unity  of  the  spirit  and  the  bond  of  peace.  The  last  com- 
mand of  the  Saviour  to  his  disciples  was,  that  they 
should  love  one  another.  The  apostle  John  declares 
the  love  of  the  brethren  to  be  the  great  test  of  Christian 
character,  and  argues  that  it  is  wholly  vain  for  a  man  to 


24 


pretend  that  he  loves  God,  if  he  does  not  evince  love  for 
his  brother.  The  exercise  of  love  required  among  the 
members  of  God's  family,  is  not  merely  an  abstinence 
from  hatred  and  hostility,  but  the  exercise  of  affection, 
the  feeling  and  manifestation  of  kindness,  the  desire  of 
maintaining  intercourse  with  each  other  ;  nay,  of  being 
together,  counselling  and  acting  together,  honouring  their 
master  and  head  together,  suffering  together,  rejoicing 
together,  rendering  thanksgiving  together,  worshipping 
and  praying  together,  and  holding  communion  together 
at  the  Lord's  table. 

The  truth  of  all  this  will  not  be  denied  ;  but  how,  it 
will  be  asked,  is  this  principle  of  love  to  be  maintained, 
while  there  is  so  much  in  the  infirmities,  not  to  say  vi- 
cious propensities  of  men  to  impair  and  expel  it  ? 

We  answer  that  the  great  secret  for  the  preservation 
of  love  in  tlie  church  and  in  every  other  community,  is 
forbearance.  Where  this  duty  is  not  religiously  observ- 
ed, love  cannot  long  subsist  among  sinful  mortals ;  but 
where  the  duty  is  recognised,  appreciated  and  performed, 
love  and  unity  will  be  maintained,  until  the  offending  par- 
ty shall  wholly  forfeit  his  character  as  a  member  of  the 
community,  and  not  only  authorize,  but  demand  an  ex- 
pulsion. 

The  Scripture  abounds  in  its  requisitions  of  this  duty 
of  forbearance.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  inculcates  it, 
both  by  precept  and  example.  He  inculcates  it  hij  pre- 
ce-pty  in  commanding  his  disciples  to  practice  the  mutual 
forgiveness  of  injuries,  not  only  once,  but  an  indefinite 
number  of  times  ;  by  diverting  the  attention  of  his  fol- 
lowers more  to  the  beam  in  their  own  eye,  than  to  the 
mote  in  the  eye  of  tlieir  brother  ;  by  cautioning  against 
tho  exercise  of  a  rash  and  uncharitable  judgement  of 


25 


others,  by  insisting  on  the  duty  of  self  denial,  and  in  short, 
by  the  whole  scope  of  his  precepts  and  doctrines,  relating 
to  the  intercourse  of  his  disciples  with  each  other.  Oui 
blessed  Lord  practised  this  duty  of  forbearance,  person- 
ally, in  his  own  family  of  disciples.  None  can  fail  to 
admire  his  patience  with  his  disciples,  in  the  exhibition 
of  their  pride  and  ambition  ;  whh  their  unreasonable  re- 
quest that  he  would  advance  them  to  the  best  stations  in 
the  temporal  kingdom  they  expected  he  was  about  to  set 
up;  with  their  unbelief,  so  \inaccountable  to  us,  of  his 
approaching  death  and  resurrection,  although  plainly 
foretold  by  the  prophets  and  expressly  declared  by  him- 
self, and  with  their  total  ignorance  of  even  the  meaning 
of  the  resurrection  from  the  dead.  How  remarkable 
was  his  forbearance  with  their  desertion  of  him  in  the 
hour  of  his  extreme  distress  ;  with  the  denial  of  Peter, 
with  the  avarice  of  Judas,  until  his  apostasy  was  mani- 
fest. And  after  all  his  experience  of  their  unteachable- 
ness  and  imperfections,  and  with  the  knowledge  of  their 
approaching  defection,  how  patiently  and  affectionately 
does  he  address  them  in  the  thirteenth  and  subsequent 
chapters  of  John's  gospel,  as  though  there  had  been  no 
other  concern  in  his  bosom  than  to  furnish  them  with 
matter  of  consolation,  during  the  short  period  between 
his  apprehension  and  his  resurrection.  All  the  time  of 
his  converse  with  the  disciples,  he  indeed,  faithfully  re- 
proved them  for  their  faults,  and  instructed  them  as  they 
were  able  to  bear  it ;  but  he  cherished  them  as  members 
of  his  family,  so  long  as  they  gave  evidence  of  their  love 
to  God,  and  attachment  to  his  cause. 

Nor  is  there  a  lack  of  harmony  on  this  topic,  between 
the  Saviour  and  his  apostles.     In  the  fourth  chapter  of 
the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  Paul  exhorts  the  saints 
3 


26 


and  the  fciithful,  in  all  loveliness  and  meekness  and  long 
suffering,  to  forbear  one  another  in  love.  The  Colossian 
Christians  he  commends  to  put  on  bowels  of  mercies, 
kindness,  humbleness  of  mind,  meekness,  long  suffering, 
forbearing  one  another  and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any 
man  have  a  quarrel  against  any,  even  as  Christ  also  for- 
gave you.  Col.  iii.  12,  13. 

The  duty  of  forbearance  is  in  the  Scriptures  expressly 
enjoined  in  matters  o(  opinion  as  well  as  matters  of  prac- 
tice. In  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the 
Romans,  Paul  teaches  as  follows  :  "  Him  that  is  weak 
"  in  the  faith  receive  ye,  but  not  to  doubtful  disputations. 
"  For  one  believeth  that  he  may  eat  all  things,  another 
"  who  is  weak,  eateth  herbs.  Let  not  him  that  eateth 
'*  despise  him  that  eateth  not ;  and  let  not  him  that  eai- 
"  eth  not,  despise  him  that  eateth,  for  God  halh  received 
"  him.  \Yho  art  thou  that  judgest  another  man's  ser- 
"  vant  ?  To  his  own  master  he  standeth  or  falleth ;  yea 
"  he  shall  be  holden  up,  for  God  is  able  to  make  him 
"  stand.  One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above  another, 
"  another  esteemeth  every  day  alike.  Let  every  man 
"  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind.  For  why  dost 
"  thou  judge  thy  brother,  or  why  hast  thou  set  at  nought 
"  thy  brother  ?  For  we  shall  all  stand  at  the  judgement 
"  seat  of  Christ." 

Much  as  these  texts  are  quoted  and  perverted  by  lat- 
itudinarians,  they  have  notwithstanding,  a  meaning,  and 
may  not  be  stricken  from  the  Bible.  The  application  of 
them  to  our  present  point  is  very  striking,  when  we  con- 
sider that  there  were  among  the  Christians  at  Rome, 
differences  of  opinion  as  to  what  food  might  or  might  not 
be  lawfully  eaten,  and  also,  as  to  the  observ  ance  of  par- 
ticular days.    It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  these  differen- 


27 


ces  of  opinion  would  introduce  different  practices  in  dif- 
ferent congregations  and  in  different  families,  as  well  as 
in  different  individuals  of  the  same  congregation  and  of 
the  same  family.  What  was  eaten  by  the  one,  another 
condemned  as  unlawful ;  and  he  who  refused  to  observe 
a  pEirticular  day,  was  deemed  disobedient  to  God's  law 
by  him  who  did  observe  it.  With  the  spirit  of  conten- 
tion these  variances  of  judgement  were  calculated  to 
break  in  upon  brotherly  love,  and  banish  peace  from 
every  church  and  every  family ;  being  not  merely  dis- 
agreements on  theoretical  points  of  doctrine,  but  on 
matters  which  must  directly  influence  the  practice  of  the 
parties  more  or  less  every  day.  Should  differences  of 
this  character  arise  among  Christians  at  the  present 
time,  would  they  forbear  with  each  other  ?  No  ;  they 
would  separate  into  distinct  sects  almost  as  soon  as  the 
difference  should  be  discovered.  Why?  Because  we 
have  so  long  been  accustomed  to  the  false  doctrine  of 
the  lawfulness  of  divisions  in  the  church,  that  we  would 
overlook  or  disregard  the  enjoined  duty  of  forbearance. 
But  with  the  spirit  of  meekness,  Christian  love  and  for- 
bearance, such  differences  may,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
apostle  (and  he  wrote  by  inspiration  of  God,)  be  endur- 
ed, and  notwithstanding  such  differences,  families  may 
remain  together,  and  the  church  undivided.  These 
points  of  controversy  are  not,  indeed,  the  same  with 
those  which  now  divide  the  church  into  sects.  Our  di- 
visions are  upon  rituals,  upon  government,  and  what  are 
called  questions  of  theology.  But  the  law  of  forbearance 
extends  to  all  matters  of  difference  between  Christians. 
No  Une  of  distinction  is  drawn  in  the  Scriptures,  nor 
does  reason  require  or  admit  that  there  should  be  any. 
The  ground  of  the  duty,  as  stated  by  the  apostle,  is  that 


28 


no  man  shall  assume  to  be  master  of  another.  If  I  may 
not  be  the  lord  of  your  actions,  by  what  process  of  rea- 
soning can  it  be  shown  that  I  may  lord  it  over  your  un- 
derstanding.  If  the  church  must  forbear  with  the  wrong 
conduct  or  practice  of  a  member,  conscientiously  behev- 
ed  by  him  to  be  in  accordance  with  the  Scriptures,  why 
should  she  not  bear  with  the  wrong  opinion  of  a  member 
which  he  conscientiously  judges  to  be  drawn  from  the 
Bible? 

Let  us  not  be  understood  as  denying  the  right  of  indi- 
viduals or  the  church,  to  condemn  opinions  plainly  con- 
trary to  the  Word  of  God  and  of  fundamental  impor- 
tance. On  this  point  there  is  no  dispute  among  Chris- 
tians. Our  object  is  to  exhibit  the  duty  of  forbearance, 
as  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  and  to  prove  that  it  is  to  be 
exercised  in  regard  to  matters  of  opinion,  as  well  as  to 
matters  of  practice  and  ritual  observances.  We  are 
awEure  that  much  more  importance  is  attributed  to  cor- 
rectness of  theological  opinions,  than  to  correctness  of 
moral  behaviour.  This  is  an  error  which  has  probably 
arisen  from  the  prominence  given  to  points  of  theology  in 
the  controversies  which  have  been  carried  on  between 
the  various  denominations  of  Christians.  The  idea  is 
not  countenanced  in  the  Scriptures,  nor  is  it  supported 
by  the  principles  of  reason.  It  is  highly  important  that 
Christians  should  form  correct  opinions,  and  that  they 
should  pursue  a  correct  course  of  conduct.  The  argu- 
ment that  opinions  are  most  important  because  they  in- 
fluence our  practice,  is  not  a  solid  one.  While  the  fact 
that  our  opinions  have  more  or  less  influence  on  our 
conduct  is  admitted,  we  deny  the  conclusion  that  opin- 
ions are  therefore  the  most  important.  Our  practice 
goes  as  far  to  form  our  principles,  as  our  opinions  go  to 


29 


determine  our  practice.  A  man  of  corrupt  principles 
will  exhibit  them  in  his  practice,  and  a  man  of  corrupt 
behaviour  will  form  corrupt  opinions.  No  man  can  be 
too  careful  to  form  correct  opinions  for  himself  of  what 
is  taught  in  the  Bible,  and  no  man  can  be  too  careful  to 
conform  his  own  life  to  its  requirements.  We  ought  to 
love  our  neighbour  sufficiently  to  desire  that  his  opinions 
and  conduct  may  be  according  to  the  stemdard  of  truth 
and  holiness.  We  may  not  tolerate  in  ourselves  any 
erroneous  opinion  or  conduct.  We  must  exercise  for- 
bearance towards  our  brother  in  many  an  opinion  and 
practice,  which  in  our  belief  is  erroneous.  This  is  fully 
shown  in  the  directions  of  the  apostle  Paul  in  the  verses 
above  quoted  from  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Romans ; 
and  his  reasoning  is  as  conclusive  as  his  doctrine  is 
plain ;  namely,  that  one  brother  has  no  right  to  lord  it 
over  another.  Nor  has  any  number  of  brethren  whether 
congregated  in  a  church,  or  in  whatever  relation  they 
stand,  any  more  right  to  exercise  dominion  over  one 
man's  conscience  in  matters  of  opinion  and  practice. 
Numbers  have  more  power  than  an  individual,  but  the 
duty  of  forbearance  is  as  incumbent  upon  a  church  as 
upon  an  individual.  Nay,  the  command  is  expressly 
given  by  the  apostle  to  the  churches. 

We  speak  of  the  duty  of  forbearance,  as  it  is  to  be  ex- 
erdsed  towards  Christians,  members  of  the  church. 
Those  who  err,  may  and  ought  to  be  instructed,  admon- 
ished, exhorted,  reproved,  or  warned  according  to  the 
directions  abundantly  given  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  but 
so  long  as  they,  in  the  judgement  of  charity,  may  be 
deemed  Christians,  there  is  no  warrant  to  expel  them 
from  the  church,  unless  it  may  be  in  those  cases  of  error 
3* 


30 


which  strike  at  its  foundations.  It  is  time  that  every 
error,  whether  of  opinion  or  practice,  may  have  a  tenden- 
cy more  or  less  direct  or  remote  to  weaken  the  church, 
and  if  countenanced,  may  in  the  end  subvert  it.  Yet 
there  is  a  wide  difference  between  one  error  and  another, 
as  is  evident  from  the  Scriptures,  and  the  dictates  of 
reason.    Every  error  is  not  alike  injurious.    There  is 
none  that  may  be  countenanced ;  there  are  many  that 
must  be  tolerated,  or  the  principles  of  forbearance  must 
be  abandoned.    There  are  errors  which  are  in  their 
character  fundamental,  or  essential,  and  there  are  those 
of  minor  importance.    The  dividing  line  between  them 
it  may,  in  some  instances,  not  be  very  easy  to  trace  with 
accuracy  ;  yet  such  a  line  of  distinction  actually  does 
exist,  and  was  doubtless  more  clearly  seen  in  the  prim- 
itive ages,  when  the  church  remained  entire,  than  it  now 
is  ;  and  will  again  be  as  clearly  discerned  when  the  spi- 
rit of  unity  shall  have  taken  up  his  abode  in  the  church, 
and  Christians  shall  have  returned  to  the  practice  of  love 
and  forbearance.    Even  now,  under  the  dominion  of 
sect,  there  are  many  who  are  so  far  deUverd  from  its 
power,  as  that  they  would  have  little  difficulty  in  prac- 
tice, to  draw  the  line  between  errors  that  are  essential, 
and  those  which  are  not  essential;  and  the  facility  of  dis- 
covering in  the  Scriptures,  the  mind  of  the  spirit  on  this 
subject,  will  increase,  as  the  spirit  of  division  shall  die 
away. 


Although  this  chapter  is  here  brought  to  a  close, 
much  remains  to  be  said  upon  the  proposition  therein 
maintained,  namely,  that  division  into  sects  is  a  breach 


31 


of  the  constitutional  union  of  the  church.  The  argument 
is  resumed  under  several  of  the  subsequent  heads,  or 
rather,  it  is  continued  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the 
work. 


32 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE   EVILS  OF  SECT. 


1.  Il  baniihes  late  and  peace.  2.  CherishtM  pride.  3.  MultiplUs 
faUt  proftssoTt  of  religion.  4.  It  keeps  men  from  the  proper  reading 
of  the  Bible.  5.  It  perpeiuatei  errors  in  doctrine,  asid  preterJt  re- 
formaUon  in  practice.  6.  It  encmirages  and  strengthens  opposer*  of 
religion.  7.  Retards  the  latter  day  of  glory.  8.  Weakens  and  des- 
troys the  ehvrch,  wasting  its  resources  of  monej  and  men.  —  A 
home  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand. —  Reference  to  political 
patties,  and  to  an  aimj.  —  Testimony  of  ecclesiastical  historj.  — 
Satan,  in  warring  against  the  chorch,  acta  on  the  maxim  "  divide 
and  conquer." 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  the  riolation  of  a  principle 
which  God  has  inculcated  with  so  much  anxiety,  and 
guarded  with  so  much  pains  as  the  unity  of  the  church, 
would  be  followed  with  lamentable  consequences,  either 
as  a  punishment  upon  his  part  for  the  breach  of  his  law 
and  constitution,  or  as  a  necessary  result  of  a  departure 
from  the  order  which  he  had  established  to  preserve  her 
j)eace,  comfort,  and  prosperity.  God  knew  the  value  of 
union  among  his  followers  in  this  wicked  world,  and 
the  evils  which  would  surely  follow,  if  they  should  ever 


33 


be  seduced  into  the  snare  of  sectarijin  divisions.  We 
will  not  attempt  to  make  a  perfect  enumeration  of  the 
evils  of  sect,  nor  can  we  adequately  expose  their  inju- 
rious and  ruinous  character ;  but  will  endeavour  to  make 
such  an  exhibition  as  to  vindicate  the  wisdom  of  God  in 
ordaining  that  his  church  should  be  one  and  indivisible. 

Let  it  be  understood  that  when  we  make  use  of  the 
word  sect,  it  is  not  designed  as  a  name  of  reproach, 
nor  as  applicable  to  one  denomination  of  Christians 
more  than  to  emother.  We  intend  to  apply  the  name 
indiscriminately  to  every  division  of  the  church  into  dis- 
tinct denominations. 

We  now  proceed  to  consider  the  evils  which  have 
resulted  from  sectarian  divisions. 

1 .  Il  banishes  peace  and  love,  while  it  cherishes  hatred 
and  contention  among  Christians. 

Contention  is  the  parent  of  division,  and  happy  would 
it  be  for  the  Christian  world,  had  the  birth  of  the  progeny 
been  followed  by  the  death  of  the  progenitor,  or  even 
mitigated  his  fury,  or  weakened  his  arm.  If,  after  a 
division  had  taken  place,  the  disputants  £md  their  adhe- 
rents would  be  content  with  the  victory  always  claimed 
on  both  sides,  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  it  in  peace,  with- 
out further  disturbing  the  other  party  and  the  rest  of  the 
Christian  world,  we  might  hope  to  see  an  end  to  the 
contention.  But  such  is  not  the  result.  Each  party 
has  its  zeal  inflamed  instead  of  diminished  by  the 
schism  that  has  rent  the  body  asunder ;  and  each  is  fully 
persuaded  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  vindicating  the 
justice  of  its  own  side  of  the  question.  And  thus  is 
continued  between  them  a  war  of  words  and  feeling,  in 
the  conducting  of  which  the  parties  are  not  very  con- 
scientious in  the  choice  of  weapons,  often  preferring  such 


34 


as  inflict  the  most  incurable  wounds  upon  the  opponent. 
This  increases  the  fury  of  the  contest,  and  perpetuates  it 
from  generation  to  generation.  How  often  has  perse- 
cution to  imprisonment,  confiscation  of  property,  ba- 
nishment, and  even  death,  been  the  lot  of  one  of  the 
contending  parties,  while  the  other  has  exultingly  raised 
the  shout  of  triumph  !  At  this  day  indeed,  at  least  in 
this  land  of  freedom,  the  arm  of  civil  power  is  no  lon- 
ger put  forth  to  crush  religious  opponents  ;  but  most  of 
the  evils  of  contention  are  continued  to  the  present  time. 
The  gentleness  inculcated  in  the  Scriptures  is  super- 
seded by  the  spirit  of  arrogance  and  rude  rebuke  ;  can- 
dour by  disingenuousness,  and  love  by  the  indulgence 
of  hatred. 

The  animosities  produced  by  divisions  in  the  church 
are  not  healed  by  time.  The  same  disputes  which 
arose  three  centuries  ago,  between  Luther  and  Calvin, 
with  respect  to  the  eucharist,  are  kept  alive  between 
their  respective  followers  to  the  present  time.  The 
controversy  between  the  Arminians  and  the  adherents  to 
the  synod  of  Dort,  is  now  carried  on  with  the  same 
zeal,  if  not  with  the  same  bitterness,  as  when  the  ori- 
ginal combatants  were  living;  and  each  party  is  as  posi- 
tive as  they  were  then,  of  being  in  the  right.  The 
Baptist  controversy  is  quite  as  stubborn  at  this  day,  as 
it  was  at  the  commencement ;  and  the  questions  on 
church  government  so  long  controverted  between  the 
kirk  of  Scotland  and  the  Seceders,  and  between  the 
church  of  England  and  the  dissenters,  are  as  far  fi-om 
being  settled  as  they  were  when  the  disputes  first  arose. 
Not  only  are  the  ancient  divisions  maintained,  and  the 
contests  between  them  continued,  but  new  schisms  are 
occurring.  Most,  if  not  all  the  great  denominations,  are 


35 


involved  in  contioversies  among  themselves,  carried  on 
with  more  or  less  of  bitterness  and  intolerance  ;  some 
of  them  have  recently  been  actually  torn  apart,  and 
others  are  threatened  with  the  same  calamity.  The 
work  of  contention  and  separation  is  still  in  progress  ; 
and  when  or  how  it  will  terminate,  must  be  left  to  the 
disposer  of  all  events  to  disclose,  or  the  event  to  de- 
clare.   We  see  not  why  it  will  not  continue  until  every 
man  will  be  obliged  to  build  his  own  church  and  main- 
tain his  own  priest,  unless  the  friends  of  Christ  shall 
open  their  eyes  to  see  the  unscriptural  and  destructive 
character  of  all  divisions,  and  with  repentance  for  past 
errors,  seek  to  return  into  one  fold  under  one  shepherd, 
according  to  the  original  constitution  of  the  church  of 
God. 

Hereby  shall  ail  men  know,  says  the  Saviour,  that 
ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another. 
Alas !  how  has  this  mark  of  Christian  character  been 
blotted  out !    By  the  divisions  among  Christians  conti- 
nued and  multiplied,  the  love  of  the  brethren,  inculcated 
with  so  much  solicitude  by  Christ  and  his  apostles,  is 
well  nigh  become  a  stranger  and  an  exile  from  the  earth. 
The  peace  of  civil  society  is  broken  by  the  discord  and 
contests  which  prevail  among  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  the 
Prince  of  Peace.   Every  neighbourhood  is  infected  with 
the  spirit  of  contention  which  is  raging,  and  the  unholy 
passions  which  excite  and  are  excited  by  it.  Neigh- 
bours, with  averted  eyes,  meet  each  other,  moving  in 
opposite  directions  to  and  from  different  places  of  wor- 
ship.   In  social  visits,  religion  may  not  be  the  theme  of 
conversation  among  Christians,  lest  the  peace  of  the 
company  be  broken  by  the  expression  of  sentiments  at 
variance  with  the  sectarian  principles  of  some  one  or 


36 


more  of  their  number.  Even  the  family,  in  which  if 
any  where,  religion  might  expect  to  have  a  welcome  and 
a  resting  place,  is  divided  against  itself.  The  wife  can- 
not sit  at  the  same  communion  table  with  her  husband, 
nor  go  to  the  same  place  of  worship.  The  children  who 
have  become  members  of  the  church,  have  perhaps  at- 
tached themselves  to  denominations  distinct  from  each 
other  and  from  those  of  their  parents,  and  not  any  two 
of  the  family  can  consistently  attend  the  same  sanctuary. 
The  base  mention  of  a  religious  subject  would  be  the 
signal  for  hostilities,  and  therefore  all  pious  conversation 
must  be  excluded,  as  the  only  means  of  avoiding  a 
breach  of  the  peace.  Family  instruction  is  neglected, 
because  the  faith  of  the  father  cannot  be  endured  by  the 
rest  of  the  household;  and  family  worship  is  dispensed 
with,  because  it  cannot  be  performed  with  union  of  feel- 
ing. And  thus  a  Christian  family  which  ought  to  be  the 
abode  of  peace,  love,  and  unity,  is  converted  by  the 
power  of  sect  into  a  habitation  of  discord,  alienation  of 
heart,  confusion  and  irreligion. 

The  world  are  witnesses  of  this  want  of  love  among 
Christians.  Nay,  they  see  that  the  contrary  principle 
of  enmity  is  predominant.  Where  is  the  wonder  that 
sinners  are  hardened  and  fortified  in  their  impenitence 
and  unbelief? 

2.  It  cherishes  the  spirit  of  pride  and  self-preference. 

There  is  perhaps  no  denomination  but  which,  itself 
being  judge,  has  its  faith  the  most  pure,  its  standards 
the  most  excellent,  its  discipline  the  most  perfect,  its 
government  the  most  scriptural,  or  its  people  the  most 
pious.  The  lovers  of  sect  are  fond  of  comparisons, 
and  are  sure  to  place  themselves  above  all  others  in  the 
knowledge  or  practice  of  the  truth,  glorying  more  in 


37 


being  Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  Baptists, Methodists, 
Qualiers,  Burghers  or  Covenanters,  that  in  the  grand 
truths  and  principles  of  the  gospel,  in  which  Christians 
generally  are  agreed.  In  the  proportion  that  they  prefer 
their  own  sect  to  every  others,  they  of  course  ascribe  the 
more  wisdonn  and  goodness  to  themselves  for  having 
discovered  the  superiority  of  that  denomination  with 
which  they  have  chosen  to  unite.  This  is  the  spirit  of 
pride  and  self-preference  which  the  apostle  reprobated 
in  the  Corinthians  who  boasted  "  I  am  of  Paul,"  and 
"  I  am  of  Apollos."  There  is  no  difficulty  in  discover- 
ing this  spirit  and  perceiving  its  unbecoming  character 
in  those  who  belong  to  a  different  party  from  our  own  ; 
but  who  will  acknowledge  that  the  same  principle  is 
eating  out  the  vitals  of  his  own  piety,  and  is  rendering 
himself  as  much  the  subject  of  odium  and  pity  to  others, 
as  they  are  to  him  ? 

3.  //  fills  the  church  with  unworthy  members. 

Such  is  the  eagerness  of  contending  sects  to  secure 
additions  to  their  numbers,  that  a  man  can  scarcely  ex- 
hibit a  sober  countenance  before  he  is  noticed  and  mar- 
ked out  as  a  subject  of  speedy  enlistment  into  the  ranks 
of  the  opposing  armies.  He  is  invited  and  caressed 
from  various  quarters  in  such  a  manner  as  to  afford 
grounds  of  fear  to  a  more  experienced  obser\'er  that  the 
parties  are  quite  as  anxious  to  bring  the  awakened  sirmer 
into  their  church,  as  to  lead  him  to  the  Saviour.  His 
doubts  whether  he  be  as  yet  a  Christian  are  soon  re- 
moved by  the  attentions  he  receives,  and  by  the  officious 
and  hasty  advice  which  is  given  him.  The  zealous  of 
each  sect  beset  him  with  their  arguments  and  persua- 
sions, and  he  is  soon  made  acquainted  with  the  errors 
of  every  sect,  while  probably  he  hears  little  of  the 

4 


38 


truths  of  any.  He  believes  he  ought  to  make  a  public 
profession  of  his  faith ;  and  at  the  commencement  of 
his  course,  he  is  compelled  by  the  urgency  of  his  as- 
sailants to  enter  upon  a  task  to  which  he  is  wholly  ia- 
competent  —  namely,  to  decide  upon  the  comparative 
merits  of  the  various  denominations  whose  claims  may 
have  been  presented  to  him.  He  is  constrained  to  de- 
cide in  a  short  time  upon  questions  of  great  depth  and 
intricacy  which  require  the  labour  of  years  and  maturity 
of  Christian  experience  to  comprehend  and  determine. 
And  after  he  has,  in  his  own  apprehension,  solved  every 
difficulty,  while  he  may  have  become  very  learned  in 
questions  of  rituals,  church  government,  and  the 
doctrines  which  are  controverted  among  Christians, 
perhaps  he  knows  very  little  of  the  Bible  as  a  whole,  or 
of  those  great  and  essential  truths  in  which  the  great 
body  of  behevers  are  agreed.  He  may,  by  this  pro- 
cess, become  very  expert  in  the  peculiarities  of  his  own 
sect,  while  he  has  made  little  or  no  progress  in  the 
knowledge  of  Christ,  the  cultivation  of  a  proper  temper, 
or  the  formation  of  a  Christian  character.  Such  of  our 
readers  as  have  had  opportunities  of  witnessing  the 
movements  of  religious  partisans,  cannot  have  failed  to 
observe  that  multitudes  are  hurried  into  a  profession  of 
religion  or  into  a  state  of  trial  in  a  particular  church,  lest 
they  might  be  caught  in  the  trap  of  seme  other  denomi- 
nation. 

How  many  false  and  unworthy  members  are  thus 
electioneered  into  the  church,  is  known  to  God  Edone. 
No  doubt  there  are  many.  And  could  she  afterwards 
be  purified  from  this  mass  of  unwholesome  materials, 
the  evil  would  be  comparatively  trifling  in  its  character. 
"WTiere  there  is  only  one  denomination,  this  process  is 


39 


to  a  great  degree  very  free  from  danger.  But  where 
there  is  more  than  one,  how  often  is  the  exercise  of  dis- 
cipline wholly  neglected  through  the  fear  that  it  will 
give  umbrage  to  the  offender,  and  drive  him  to  add  the 
weight  of  his  name,  property  or  influence  to  another 
denomination !  And  thus  the  misconduct  of  many  re- 
mains unreproved,  and  the  whole  body  becomes  cor- 
rupted by  the  unchristian  practices  of  its  members, 
winked  at  by  the  church. 

Besides,  it  is  a  common  occurrence  for  a  church 
member  to  change  the  place  of  his  residence.  If  he 
does  not  find  in  the  place  to  Avhich  he  removes  a  church 
of  his  own  sect,  however  well  it  may  be  supplied  with 
those  of  another  name,  his  sectarian  feelings  do  not 
permit  him  to  put  himself  under  the  watchful  care  of  any 
of  these,  and  he  lives  as  a  sheep  without  a  shepherd. 
His  sectarian  prejudices,  moreover,  may  prevent  him 
from  feeling  the  obligation  to  attend  a  place  of  public 
worship  where  there  is  none  of  his  own  persuasion  ;  and 
he  may  even  be  deterred  from  it  by  the  fear  (laudable 
among  sectarians)  of  being  seduced  from  the  purity  of 
the  faith  and  practice  of  his  own  church,  and  thus  live 
a  heathen  in  the  midst  of  a  Christian  community. 

By  all  these  different  means  unworthy  professors  of 
religion  are  greatly  multiplied,  causing  such  an  amalga- 
mation of  the  church  with  the  world,  as  to  render  it 
impossible  to  distinguish  between  the  wheat  and  the 
chaff".  The  church  is  groaning,  being  sorely  burdened 
under  the  oppressive  load. 

4.  It  disqualifies  men  for  the  proper  reading  of  the 
Scriptures. 

The  injuries  suffered  by  individual  church  membera 
from  the  causes  mentioned  under  the  last  head,  might 


40 


be  alleviated  and  in  time  removed,  had  they  been  taught 
and  influenced  to  search  the  Scriptures,  and  place  upon 
them  their  principal  reliance  for  instruction  and  gui- 
dance. The  word  of  the  Lord  is  the  bread  of  life  to 
every  Christian  soul,  and  all  the  other  means  of  grace 
have  their  principal  use  in  exciting  the  believer  to  read 
the  Bible  aright.  The  manner  in  which  it  is  to  be  read 
and  studied  Ls  indeed  sufhciently  indicated  in  the  Bible 
itself;  but  such  is  man's  unteachableness  and  reluc- 
tance to  obey,  that  he  needs  the  living  minister  to 
exhort,  admonish,  explain  the  truth,  and  to  enforce  it 
upon  the  heart  and  conscience.  He  needs  also  other 
means,  and  the  Scriptures  when  constantly  and  prayer- 
fully read,  will  lead  him  to  seek  those  helps,  not  only 
as  tlie  appointed  means  of  his  own  improvement,  but 
as  the  appointed  mode  of  pleasing  God. 

The  church  of  Rome  withholds  the  Bible  from  the 
laity ;  and  their  clergy,  for  the  most  part,  deny  the  use 
Ctf  it  to  themselves.  It  is  the  glory  of  the  protestant 
church  that  she  makes  it  the  duty  of  every  one,  ministers 
and  people»  to  search  the  Scriptures  ;  and  it  is  the  glory 
of  the  present  age  that  protestant  Christians  have  resol- 
ved to  furnish  the  sacred  volume  to  every  family  in  the 
world.  But  although  we  have  the  Bible  and  esteem  it 
of  great  price,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  we  derive 
from  it  all  the  benefit  which  the  proper  use  of  it  would 
insure. 

The  truth  is  far  otherwise.  It  is  the  evident  design 
of  its  author  that  the  Bible  should  be  read  daily,  to  fur- 
nish the  food  of  which  the  soul  of  the  Christian  stands 
in  continual  need ;  that  it  should  be  read  again  and 
again,  not  only  that  it  may  be  understood  and  remem- 
bered, but  that  by  the  frequent  and  constant  perusal  of 


41 


its  pages,  men  may  expose  themselves  to  the  fulness  of 
its  moral  influence ;  that  it  should  be  the  subject  of  our 
meditations  by  day  and  by  night ;  and  that  it  should  be 
studied  with  prayer  to  God  for  his  enhghtening  and 
sanctifying  influence.  It  is  moreover  the  plain  will  of 
God  that  the  tohole  of  the  Bible  should  thus  be  read, 
since  all  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is 
profitable  ;  and  that  each  part  should  receive  that  degree 
of  attention  which  its  intrinsic  importance  demands, 
and  that  particular  portions  of  the  sacred  volume  should 
not  so  engross  our  attention  as  to  prevent  us  from  setting 
a  due  value  on  the  other  portions  of  the  same  word  of 
truth. 

This  obvious  and  profitable  use  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
has  been  subverted  by  the  operation  of  sectarian  prin- 
ciples. An  undue  prominence  has  been  given  to  those 
points  of  doctrine  on  which  behevers  are  at  variance, 
while  the  mass  of  valuable  instructions  contained  in  the 
Bible,  and  which  are  not  the  subjects  of  controversy 
among  Christians,  are  cast  into  the  shade,  possessing 
comparatively  little  interest  in  the  estimation  of  the 
sectarian  reader.  This  false  taste  and  injurious  habit 
is  in  great  measure  cherished,  if  not  formed,  by  the 
polemical  character  of  the  preaching  in  the  divided  pro- 
testant  church.  From  many  pulpits  you  may  hear  more 
sermons  on  controverted  subjects,  than  on  all  others 
taken  together ;  and  the  love  of  controversy  being  na- 
tural to  the  hearts  of  fallen  man,  this  description  of 
sermons  is  very  grateful  to  the  great  majority  of  hear- 
ers. Indeed  many  Christians  will  not  be  satisfied  with 
any  but  doctrinal  sermons ;  and  they  would  scarcely 
recognise  those  as  doctrinal,  which  are  not  controver- 
sial. While  their  minister  is  demonstrating  the  errors 
4* 


42 


of  those  who  differ  from  the  standards  of  his  churcl*, 
and  liis  hearers  are  wondering  at  the  bhndness  and  per- 
verseness  of  their  opponents,  they  forget  that  in  a 
neighbouring  church  followers  of  the  same  Saviour,  but 
hearers  of  another  preacher,  are  at  the  same  moment 
indulging  in  pious  wonder  at  the  dulness  of  their  under- 
standings. How  can  it  be  expected  that  Christians 
under  this  species  of  training  will  read  the  word  of  God 
"without  partiahty."  The  truth  is  that  by  many  the 
Bible  is  read  more  with  the  view  to  defend  the  tenets  of 
their  own  sect,  and  refute  those  of  their  antagonists, 
than  simply  to  inquire  what  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  re- 
vealed to  the  reader.  How  much  is  the  fact  to  be 
deplored  that  the  Holy  Bible  designed  by  its  wise  author 
to  light  every  step  in  the  path  of  the  Christian  through 
this  evil  world,  should  be  so  perverted  as  to  lead  the 
reader  into  the  darkness  of  unprofitable  controversy  with 
liis  fellow  pilgrims ;  and  that  the  book  of  God  designed 
to  teach  and  inculcate  the  love  of  peace  and  unity, 
should  be  perused  in  such  a  spirit  as  to  supply  to  the 
reader  aliment  for  contention  and  breach  of  charity. 

Were  Ciiristians  taught  and  induced  to  read  the 
Scriptures  daily,  to  read  the  entire  Scriptures,  with 
humble  prayer  for  light  from  above,  they  would  not  fail 
to  exhibit  a  more  consistent  Christian  character.  For 
their  minds  would  then  come  into  frequent  contact  with 
every  part  of  God's  word,  and  in  due  season  would  they 
receive  the  portion  they  need.  Every  blemish,  every 
fault,  every  unholy  feeling  and  practice  would  receive 
its  seasonable  reproof  from  G  od  himself,  speaking  in  bis 
word.  Every  duty  would  be  held  up  to  the  view  of  the 
Christian,  with  the  arguments  and  motives  for  its  per- 
formance.   God's  character  and  liis  own  would  be  con- 


43 

Btantly  presented  to  his  consideration,  and  the  claims 
which  his  fellow  Christians  have  upon  his  forbearance 
and  his  love  could  not  be  forgotten  and  neglected.  But 
the  impartial  reading  and  study  of  the  Bible  can  never 
be  expected  to  be  pursued  by  Christians,  so  long  as 
they  are  taught  to  attach  so  much  comparative  impor- 
tance to  subjects  of  controversy.  These  will  continue 
to  engross  their  minds  and  affections,  while  the  "  weigh- 
tier matters  "  of  the  Bible  will  be  either  hastily  read,  or 
entirely  passed  over  as  dry  and  uninteresting. 

It  is  so  in  politics.  A  single  topic,  however  unim- 
portant in  itself,  will,  when  made  the  subject  of  dispute 
between  the  political  partisans  of  the  nation,  assume 
more  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  community,  and 
receive  more  of  the  attention  than  all  the  other  concerns 
of  the  country  about  which  there  is  no  existing  contro- 
versy. 

5.  It  frustrates  every  effort  to  reform  ivliat  is  icrong 
in  the  church. 

In  the  first  place,  the  division  of  the  church  into  dis- 
tinct sects  perpetuates  errors  in  doctrine.  Though 
none  of  the  sects  may  be  unwilling  to  acknowledge  that 
in  their  own  creed  or  confession  of  faith  there  is  a  single 
error,  they  will  readily  admit  that  errors  abound  among 
Christians  of  other  denominations.  What  but  differen- 
ces of  opinion  among  Christians  have  divided  the 
church  ■?  One  or  more  points  of  doctrine  affirmed  on 
one  side,  and  denied  on  the  other,  has  given  rise  to  the 
various  sects  which  have  rent  the  church  in  pieces ;  and 
notliing  can  be  clearer  than  that  one  of  the  parties  are 
supporting  error,  where  their  sentiments  are  in  direct 
opposition  to  each  other.  We  do  not  maintain  that  if 
there  were  an  amalgamation  of  all  sects,  there  would  be 


44 


no  errors  broached  in  the  church ;  but  we  do  hold  and 

are  confident  that  the  surest  way  to  perpetuate  any  error, 
is  to  encourage  or  drive  one  of  the  disagreeing  parties 
to  form  itself  into  a  separate  denomination.  If  the  party 
seceding  be  wrong,  the  error  will  be  adhered  to  as  long 
as  the  sect  shall  subsist ;  and  if  the  party  seceded  from 
be  wrong,  the  error  will  be  persevered  in  until  the  de- 
nomination shall  become  extinct;  because  in  either 
case  the  point  of  difference  will  introduce  a  new  article 
into  their  respective  creeds,  and  of  that  article  they  will 
be  as  tenacious  as  every  Christian  ought  to  be  of  the 
Bible  itself.     This  assertion  is  fully  verified  by  history. 

How  are  the  errors  which  are  now  incorporated  into 
the  creeds,  confessions  or  systems  of  different  denomi- 
nations, ever  to  be  purged  from  the  church  in  its  pre- 
sent state  of  division?  Who  is  to  commence  the 
work  1  Who  dares  to  undertake  the  task  of  pointing 
out  the  errors  of  his  own  denomination  ?  If  such  a  man 
could  be  found,  he  would  instantly  be  denounced  and 
silenced  as  the  enemy  of  his  church,  or  a  traitor  to  his 
party.  He  could  not  expect  and  would  not  meet  with  a 
kinder  reception  than  Jesus  Christ  himself  received 
from  the  Jewish  church,  when  he  exposed  their  depart- 
ure from  the  truth  of  God,  as  declared  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. If  the  error  may  not  be  exposed  by  a  member  of 
the  same  denomination,  how  can  it  be  supposed  that 
any  interference  will  be  listened  to  when  coming  from 
one  of  another  sect?  All  history  and  observation 
proves  that  no  church  has  ever  yielded  to  the  force  of 
arguments,  however  strong,  coming  from  an  opponent. 

When,  however,  the  church  shall  be  again  united,  one 
of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the  discovery  and  acknowl- 
edgement of  error  will  be  removed,  and  as  there  will  then 


45 


be  no  opposing  sects  to  keep  alive  party  pride,  passion 
and  prejudice,  such  as  may  be  honestly  desirous  of 
knowing  the  truth,  may  with  perfect  safety,  without  the 
danger  of  persecution  or  reproach,  yield  themselves 
unreservedly  to  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through 
his  own  word.  They  will  avail  themselves  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  past,  and  the  discussions  that  have  already 
been  had  of  perhaps  every  point  of  doctrine  contained 
in  the  Bible  ;  and  as  there  will  then  be  no  longer  any 
sense  of  disgrace  In  the  acknowledgement  that  we  know 
nothing  as  we  ought  to  know,  men  will  readily  renounce 
their  past  opinions,  when  the  force  of  sound  argument 
shall  prove  them  to  have  been  unscriptural.  And  then 
it  will  be  seen  and  admitted  that  truth  and  error  have 
been  mingled  in  the  creed  of  every  sect,  and  the  watch- 
men on  the  walls  of  Zion  will  begin  to  see  eye  to  eye. 

As  the  division  of  the  church  into  opposing  sects 
forbids  the  hope  of  eradicating  any  error  of  doctrine  that 
finds  a  place  in  the  creed  of  any  denomination,  so  it  is 
the  capital  engine  of  Satan,  the  arch  enemy,  to  pre- 
vent any  reformation  of  practice.  The  protestant  church 
in  its  infant  and  undivided  state,  entered  with  a  noble 
spirit  upon  the  work  of  reformation,  diffusing  in  a  short 
period  of  time,  much  of  the  light  and  holy  influence  of 
true  Christianity.  She  unhappily  became  afterwards  the 
theatre  of  theological  controversy,  which,  owning  to 
the  bad  spirit  in  which  their  disputes  were  conducted, 
resulted  more  in  the  excitement  of  unholy  passions, 
than  in  producing  conviction  of  the  truth,  or  the  preva- 
lence of  Christian  feeling.  The  consequence  was  a 
separation  of  the  contending  parties,  and  the  formation 
of  distinct  churches,  each  claiming  to  be  the  true 
church  of  Christ.   A  division  once  commenced,  it  was 


46 


comparatively  easy  to  produce  subdivisions,  until  in 
process  of  time,  it  was  almost  a  matter  of  course  for  a 
difference  of  opinion  to  produce  a  new  denomination. 
And  these  unholy  divisions  have  ever  since  been  multi- 
plying, so  that  every  age  has  furnished  the  addition  of 
many  names  in  the  dictionary  of  religious  sect.  Amidst 
the  strife  which  these  controversies  and  schisms  have 
kept  alive,  it  was  to  be  expected  that  each  sect  would 
find  ample  employment  for  all  the  means  in  their  power 
to  sustain  their  own  existence.  And  such  has  been  the 
fact.  They  could  scarcely  have  found  time,  and  they 
have  evinced  little  incUnation  to  reform  abuses  in  the 
church,  or  to  bring  the  world  under  the  influence  of  the 
gospel.  To  prove  this  assertion,  we  vnU.  adduce  one 
or  two  examples. 

The  slave  trade,  now  so  justly  abhorred  by  all  en- 
lightened men,  could  not  have  become  the  legalized 
business  of  protestant  Christians,  and  been  openly  and 
shamelessly  pursued  by  them  for  the  space  of  two  cen- 
turies, had  the  church  been  bound  together  in  the  bond 
of  Christian  love  and  unity.  The  early  leaders  of  the 
Society  of  Friends  protested  against  the  traffic,  and 
boldly  proclaimed  it  to  be  contrary  to  the  principles  of 
the  gospel,  and  a  gross  violation  of  Christian  duty ;  but 
the  practical  belief  of  the  doctrine  was  diffused  only 
through  the  limits  of  that  denomination.  By  the  rest  it 
was  unheeded  or  treated  with  indifference,  as  the  tenet 
of  a  sect,  instead  of  being  received  as  a  Christian  prin- 
ciple, which  ought  to  be  felt  and  acted  upon  by  every 
member  of  the  church  of  Christ.  So  likewise  the 
practice  of  drinking  distilled  liquors  was  seen,  by  the 
primitive  Quakers  and  by  John  Wesley  in  his  time,  to 
be  dangerous,  injurious  and  unchristian ;  but  the  truth 


47 


of  this  sentiment  was  heeded  only  by  the  Quakers  and 
the  Methodists,  while  the  members  of  other  religious 
denominations  have  made,  sold  and  consumed  the  poi- 
sons of  the  still  as  freely  and  openly  as  if  they  had  been 
the  waters  of  life.  Had  the  church  been  united  in  one 
body  of  Christian  brethren,  the  light  which  was  confined 
within  the  narrow  bounds  of  two  Christian  sects,  would, 
like  the  candle  of  the  Lord,  have  shone  upon  the  whole 
of  the  protestant  church,  and  ere  this,  upon  the  rest  of 
the  world. 

The  principles  of  the  reformation  from  popery  would 
long  since  have  effected  the  spread  of  the  gospel  through 
the  whole  earth,  had  they  not  been  checked  in  their 
operation,  for  they  were  the  principles  of  the  Bible, 
wliich  commands  the  disciples  of  Christ  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.  But  alas !  the  church  has 
found  other  employment.  The  spirit  of  discord  having 
broken  out  among  her  cliildren,  the  powers  of  the 
church  have  been  wasted  in  controversies  and  persecu- 
tions, instead  of  being  employed  in  evangelizing  the 
world.  The  Moravian  brethren,  it  is  true,  have  done 
something  towards  the  propagation  of  Christianity 
abroad,  for  more  than  a  century  past ;  but  the  other  deno- 
minations seem  scarcely  to  have  been  apprized  of  their 
operations ;  or  if  they  were,  they  were  not  moved  to 
follow  the  good  example.  It  was  the  example  only  of  a 
sect,  and  the  force  of  it  was  lost  upon  the  others,  and 
they  kept  aloof  from  the  holy  work  with  as  much  indiffe- 
rence as  though  the  "  Brethren  "  had  been  engaged  in 
an  enterprise  which  concerned  only  themselves.  There 
is  not  and  there  cannot  be  the  feeling  of  a  common  in- 
terest between  different  sects.  It  is  of  the  nature  of 
division  to  destroy  the  community  of  feeling.  What 


48 


one  sect  is  doing,  unless  it  be  to  aggrandize  itself  at 
the  expense  of  the  others,  seems  to  attract  little  atten- 
tion ;  so  that  a  reformation  in  any  particular,  remains 
confined  to  the  denomination  in  which  it  originates,  and 
the  others  remain  as  unconcerned  in  relation  to  it,  as 
they  would  be  respecting  the  movements  among  them- 
selves of  any  of  the  different  castes  in  India. 

The  cause  of  benevolence  has,  it  is  true,  of  late 
excited  something  like  a  general  interest  in  some  of  the 
churches,  notwithstanding  existing  divisions,  and  has 
made  some  progress  in  spite  of  the  dominion  of  sect.  It 
had  reposed  in  the  slumber  of  ages,  until  a  principle  has 
recently  manifested  itself,  which,  if  not  resisted,  will 
eventuate  in  the  reunion  of  the  church  of  Christ.  It  is 
in  fact  the  principle  of  union  itself,  drawing  together 
the  warm  hearts  of  divers  denominations,  who  forgetting 
minor  subjects  of  difference,  unite  in  a  combined  effort 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  man  and  to  advance  the 
interests  of  Christ's  kingdom.  The  same  principle  has 
originated  foreign  missions,  as  well  as  domestic  mis- 
sions, the  Bible  Society,  the  Sabbath  School  Union,  the 
Prison  Discipline  and  Seaman's  Friend  Societj',  the 
Tract  and  Education  Societies.  The  spirit  which  had 
started  into  life  these  noble  institutions,  emphatically  the 
glory  of  the  present  age,  will,  if  left  to  its  own  operation, 
sustain  them,  and  bear  them  on  to  a  happy  consumma- 
tion ;  but  it  is  well  known  to  those  who  are  conversant 
with  the  concerns  of  these  benevolent  enterprises,  that 
the  power  of  sect,  however  it  may  in  some  instances  be 
disguised,  is  already  set  in  array  against  them ;  and 
unless  that  power  of  sect  shall  be  broken,  or  its  charac- 
ter essentially  changed,  the  opposition  maintained  by 
it  against  the  cause  of  reform,  will  be  protracted  and 
severe. 


49 


The  resistance  so  strongly  manifested  to  the  progress 
of  moral  improvement,  has,  by  a  vigorous  writer  of  the 
day,  been  aptly  personified  under  the  name  of  "  the  ge- 
nius of  the  existing  order  of  things."  This  evil  genius 
is  every  where  employed  with  watchful  care,  exerting 
his  utmost  power  and  skill  to  keep  the  world  in  its  pre- 
sent condition  of  wretchedness,  guarding  the  "celestial 
empire  "  against  the  invasion  of  Christianity,  fortifying 
the  Musselman  in  the  faith  of  the  prophet  and  his  koran. 
He  is  the  privy  counsellor  of  the  despots  and  tyrants  of 
the  earth,  instructing  them  to  shut  out  from  their  vassals 
the  light  of  knowledge,  and  to  quench  the  flame  of  li- 
berty. He  stands  at  the  church  door  of  every  sect,  cry- 
ing danger !  at  the  suggestion  of  any  improvement  or 
reformation,  lest  they  may  lose  their  distinctive  peculiari- 
ties, and  fail  of  showing  the  same  features  which  they 
have  exhibited  for  ages  past.  Dreading  the  spirit  of 
reformation,  which  seems  to  be  partially  kindling  in  the 
protestant  world,  the  malignant  genius  is  constantly 
vociferating,  "  Let  things  remain  as  they  are,  lest  they 
become  worse."  The  sentiment  is  re-echoed  by  every 
sect,  and  the  man  who  dares  to  propose  any  alteration 
in  the  doctrine,  government,  discipline,  or  practice  of 
his  own  denomination,  does  it  at  the  peril  of  being 
charged  with  disaffection  to  his  own  church.  This  ac- 
counts for  the  fact  which  will  be  readily  admitted  by  all, 
that  a  man,  whether  preacher,  ruler,  or  private  member, 
cannot  be  a  favourite  in  his  own  sect,  unless  he  be  tho- 
rough-going in  defending  every  one  of  its  tenets,  rites, 
ceremonies,  and  regulations,  and  in  opposing  every  at- 
tempt to  change  the  existing  order  of  things.  A  man  of 
liberal  principles  may  be  popular  in  other  denominations, 
where  he  has  little  or  no  power  of  doing  good  ;  but  he 


50 


is  sure  to  be  very  unpopular  in  his  own  connexion, 
where  he  might  exert  a  beneficial  influence,  were  not 
his  attempts  at  improvement  resisted  and  bafiled  by  the 
power  of  sectarian  bigotry,  pride,  and  prejudice. 

6.  Il  gives  courage  and  strength  to  opposers. 

The  enemies  to  true  religion  are  close  observers  of 
the  movements  of  the  church,  and  especially  do  they 
notice  its  divisions.  The  history  of  sects,  not  only  the 
more  public,  but  even  the  secret  movements  of  the  con- 
tending parties  are  subject  to  the  cognizance  of  their  keen 
penetration ;  and  where  is  the  wonder  that  they  should 
discover  much  to  the  reproach  of  Christians,  as  well  as 
to  the  confirmation  of  their  own  unbelief  and  hatred  of 
rehgion?  The  various  differences  and  contentions 
among  the  advocates  of  Christianity,  their  divisions  into 
sects  almost  innumerable,  with  the  rage  of  party  strife 
between  them,  and  even  their  persecutions  of  each  other, 
come  most  powerfully  to  the  aid  of  the  depraved  heart, 
in  rejecting  the  holy  truths  of  the  Bible,  which  they  do 
not  relish,  and  which  they  are  conscious  they  do  not 
obey.  If  Christianity  were  exhibited  in  its  native  light 
by  those  who  believe  it,  it  would  go  far  towards  con- 
quering the  power  of  the  infidel  to  disbelieve  ;  while  now 
as  the  exhibition  of  the  Christian  character  appears  to  his 
eye,  instead  of  removing,  it  corroborates  his  infidelity. 

Were  it  not  for  the  deplorable  divisions  among  Christ- 
ians, the  fatal  heresies  which  from  time  to  time  are 
broached,  would  receive  no  countenance  in  the  world. 
The  heretic  would  find  no  place  where  to  set  his  foot  in 
the  church ;  for  he  would  be  cut  off  as  a  rotten  member, 
and  there  would  be  no  sect  to  receive  him.  The  harmo- 
nious worship,  faith,  and  Christian  practice  of  the  united 
church  would  keep  the  wolves  out  of  the  sheepfold,  and 


51 


they  would  then  have  to  wander  alone  in  the  wilderness; 
or  if  they  should  attempt  to  collect  a  few  followers,  and 
assume  the  name  of  a  church,  the  deception  would,  in 
most  instances,  be  too  apparent  to  deceive  even  the 
unwary.  But  now,  amidst  the  multitude  of  denomi- 
nations, all  claiming  to  be  the  fold  of  Christ,  and  at  least 
some  of  them  exhibiting  a  character  veiy  different  from 
that  of  peaceable  and  harmless  sheep,  is  it  matter  of  won- 
der that  the  Unitarian,  the  Universalist,  the  Roman  Ca- 
tholic, and  the  Mormonite,  should  confidently  claim  to 
be  Christian  churches,  and  be  enabled,  under  the  guise 
of  religion,  to  do  the  work  of  their  Master  to  more  effect 
than  could  be  done  by  their  open  opposition  ? 

These  enemies  of  religion  would  not  be  able  to  sus- 
tain their  courage,  did  they  see  the  friends  of  Christ 
acting  in  unison  to  extend  the  interests  of  his  kingdom. 
All  tlieir  efforts  would  be  confined  to  deeds  of  darkness, 
as  they  would  fail  to  find  a  place  of  safety  in  the  light  of 
day ;  and  should  they  presume  to  present  an  open  front 
of  opposition,  the  moial  power  of  the  united  church 
would  speedily  subdue  them. 

7.  Il  retards  the  latter  day  of  glory. 

The  sooner  the  church  is  reunited,  the  sooner  may 
we  expect  the  commencement  of  that  happy  period  to 
which  the  friends  of  Christ  are  looking  with  joyful  anti- 
cipations, when  all  shall  know  the  Lord,  from  the  great- 
est to  the  least ;  when  righteousness  and  peace  shall 
every  where  abound,  and  the  Saviour's  reign  be  esta- 
blished upon  the  earth.  The  victory  over  Satan  might 
long  since  have  been  won,  had  not  the  soldiers  of  the 
cross  made  war  upon  each  other,  instead  of  uniting  in  a 
vigorous  and  persevering  warfare  against  the  common 
enemy. 


52 


The  spirit  of  sect  is  at  variance  with  the  progress  of 
holiness.  Piety  will  not  grow  in  the  midst  of  envy,  pre- 
judice, party  pride,  hatred,  strife  and  contention,  nar- 
row mindedness,  bigotry,  opposition  to  the  progress  of 
truth  and  reformation,  under  whose  influence  the  light 
of  Christianity  is  hidden  under  a  bushel,  and  the  salt  has 
lost  its  savour.  The  degree  of  Christian  perfection 
which  the  Scriptures  teach  us  to  be  attainable,  will  not 
be  exhibited  by  believers  under  all  the  demoralizing  in- 
fluences of  sect ;  and  in  consequence,  there  will  not  be 
that  exhibition  of  Christian  character,  which  must  ulti- 
mately be  the  great  means  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord,  to  convert  a  world  lying  in  wicked- 
ness. 

Independently  of  these  considerations,  there  is  a  ten- 
dency in  the  prevalence  of  sectarian  divisions,  to  cripple 
all  the  other  means  for  evangelizing  the  world,  and 
bringing  nominal  Christians  more  fully  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  gospel.  The  sectarian  cannot  admit  the 
thought  that  the  happy  day  of  the  church  will  arrive  until 
the  world  is  prepared  to  receive  the  doctrines,  govern- 
ment, and  rites  of  his  own  church.  He  is  therefore 
reluctant,  yea,  and  opposed  to  aid  those  general  asso- 
ciations of  Christians  whose  object  is  to  extend  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  without  regard  to  sect.  To  send  the 
gospel  to  the  heathen  he  may  admit  to  be  the  duty  of 
every  Christian,  but  he  has  no  heart  to  aid  the  board  of 
foreign  missions,  unless  he  can  be  assured  that  they  will 
propagate  his  own  creed  among  the  heathen.  He  can- 
not open  his  purse  to  the  home  missionary  society,  be- 
cause he  has  no  security  that  they  will  employ  mis- 
sionaries of  his  own  party.  He  will  not  support  the 
Sabbath  School  Union,  because  its  conductors  will  not 


53 


promise  to  have  his  own  catechism  taught  to  the  child- 
ren ;  nor  can  he  contribute  to  the  funds  of  the  American 
Education  Society,  because  they  may  bring  some  men 
into  the  ministry  who  will  not  advance  the  interests  of 
his  own  sect.  The  cause  of  seamen  and  prisons  has  no 
charms  for  him,  not  having  any  peculiar  tendency  to 
strengthen  his  own  denomination.  We  are  sorry  to  add 
that  judging  from  the  actions  of  multitudes  of  sectarians, 
there  is  reason  to  fear  they  would  rather  see  the  present 
state  of  things  in  the  world  continued,  than  to  have  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  extended  by  associations  of  Christians 
who  do  not  enter  into  their  peculiar  views  and  partiali- 
ties. When  can  the  world  become  evangelized  under 
the  prevalence  of  this  narrow  minded  policy  ?  Each 
sect  is  withholding  its  aid,  until  itself  shall  have  ac- 
quired the  power  to  accomplish  the  great  work  of  con- 
verting the  world.  But  none  of  them  will  ever  possess 
this  power.  The  only  hope  of  effecting  this  great  and 
glorious  work,  is  the  decline  and  ultimate  fall  of  the 
empire  of  sect.  It  requires  the  united  hearts,  hands, 
purses,  and  prayers  of  protestant  Christians  to  evan- 
gelize the  heathen,  convert  the  Jew  to  the  faith  of 
Christ,  to  purge  the  Greek  and  Latin  churches  from 
their  corruptions,  to  bring  sinners  at  home  to  repent- 
ance, and  bring  Christians  under  the  full  influence  of 
the  gospel. 

The  work  to  be  done  is  great,  almost  beyond  com- 
prehension. The  opposition  and  difficulties  in  the  way 
are  numerous  and  appalling.  Were  every  Christian  in 
the  world  employed  in  accomplishing  it,  yet  how  ar- 
duous would  be  the  work,  and  how  much  time  must  it 
consume,  what  calamities  must  first  be  endured  by  the 
church,  and  what  millions  drop  into  the  everlasting 
5* 


54 


abodes  of  the  damned !  How  exceedingly  leimentablef 
then,  that  those  who  are  to  perform  the  work,  should 
voluntarily  or  ignorantly  diminish  the  amount  and  effi- 
ciency of  their  resources,  by  jealousies,  feuds,  and  di- 
visions ! 

But  upon  the  supposition  that  notwithstanding  the  re- 
tarding influence  of  sect,  the  cause  of  foreign  missions 
should  progress,  and  that  the  missionary  establishments 
of  the  different  denominations  should  extend  the  bounds 
of  their  present  stations,  until  they  shall  come  in  conti- 
guity to  each  other,  what  will  be  the  result  ?  Will  each 
occupy  his  ground  in  peace,  and  assign  territorial  limits 
to  the  location  of  Episcopacy,  Methodism,  Baptism,  Pres- 
byterianism,  and  Congregationalism?  Or  will  the  par- 
ties, as  they  come  into  contact,  act  over  again  the  same 
scene  of  contention,  persecution,  and  malevolence,  in 
every  form  which  has  been  acted  in  Europe  and  the 
United  States  ?  Or  rather,  instead  of  deferring  the  com- 
mencement of  hostilities  until  the  bounds  of  their  mis- 
sionary stations  shall  meet,  will  not  the  spirit  of  prose- 
lytism  goad  on  the  different  sects  to  establish  missions 
in  places  already  occupied  by  others,  and  so  commence 
the  war  of  sect  without  much  longer  delay  1 

In  any  event,  how  long  can  it  be,  before  christianized 
heathens  will  hear  of  our  divisions  and  strifes?  And 
what  will  be  the  effect  of  tliis  information  upon  the  con- 
verts ?  ^Tiat  upon  the  unconverted?  What  will  be  the 
feelings  of  our  missionaries,  when  their  disciples  inquire 
of  them  the  meaning  of  our  fierce  disputings  and 
schisms  ?  It  may,  upon  the  whole,  be  a  happy  provi- 
dence for  the  heathen  that  they  know  so  little  of  the 
church  in  Christian  lands.  Should  the  spirit  of  brotherly 
love  now  descend  upon  us,  and  reunite  the  church,  the 


65 


converts  among  the  heathen,  when  they  leain  the  his* 
tory  of  Christian  sects,  would  hear  it  as  the  record  of  a 
period  past,  and  of  an  evil  removed,  and  from  which 
the  church  had  learned  the  curse  of  division  and  the 
blessings  of  union ;  and  ihey  might  escape  the  snEire 
into  which  we  have  fallen.  But  let  them  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  controversies  in  the  church  from 
which  they  received  the  gospel,  while  these  are  actually 
agitating  and  distracting  us,  what  can  be  expected  but 
that  the  war  of  sect  will  at  once  break  out  among  them  ? 
And  who  can  calculate  how  long  and  to  what  degree 
they  will  be  doomed  to  experience  its  bitterness,  and 
how  many  centuries  the  latter  day  of  glory  may  be  re- 
tarded ?  May  the  Lord  in  his  mercy  deliver  the  hea- 
then from  the  evils  of  division.  May  they  know 
Christianity  only  in  its  benign,  peaceful,  sanctifying, 
and  all  its  heavenly  influences. 

8.  //  weakens  and  tends  to  destroy  the  church. 

This  operation  and  tendency  is  manifest  in  many 
ways.  The  divisions  of  the  church  are  wasting  its  re- 
sources,  both  of  money  and  men. 

Almost  every  denomination  feels  the  necessity  of 
having  its  theological  school,  although  perhaps  not  more 
than  a  dozen  of  students  are  found  in  it  at  the  same  time, 
and  this  school  must  have  its  library,  and  as  many  profes- 
sors as  one  that  instructs  two  hundred  students.  Some 
deemit  quite  importantto  haveaJso  their  sectariancollege, 
and  even  their  sectarian  academy,  to  educate  their  youth, 
with  the  view  to  transfer  them  afterwards  to  their  own 
theological  seminary.  To  sustain  these  institutions, 
there  must  be  agents  and  a  complicated  and  expensive 
machinery  for  obtaining  the  funds  necessary  to  defray 
the  original  cost  and  the  continual  expenditures.  Each 


66 


denomination  thinks  it  also  quite  essential  to  have  also 
its  newspaper,  magazine,  and  books,  to  diffuse  intelli- 
gence of  its  operations,  and  to  defend  and  promote  the 
peculiarities  of  its  feiith  and  practice.  Several  of  these 
theological  seminaries,  colleges,  and  academies,  news- 
papers and  magazines,  might  be  united  in  one,  without 
the  loss  of  any  real  advantage,  and  to  the  saving  of  an 
immense  waste  of  money,  and  of  the  precious  time  of  a 
host  of  instructers  and  editors. 

Every  denomination  must  also  be  at  the  expense  of 
having  its  preacher,  and  of  building,  repairing,  and 
furnishing  its  church,  and  perhaps  a  lecture  room  be- 
sides ;  so  that  it  is  not  uncommon  in  compact  settlements, 
to  have  four  or  five  places  of  worship,  with  as  many 
preachers  of  the  gospel,  to  accommodate  four  or  five 
hundred  hearers,  who  might  all,  with  much  profit  in  every 
point  of  view,  meet  at  one  place,  and  enjoy  the  ministry 
of  one  man.  On  the  other  hand,  in  sparse  and  poor 
settlements,  it  is  in  many  instances  impossible  to  sup- 
port public  worship,  for  the  sole  reason  that  a  sufficient 
number  of  Christians  of  the  same  denomination  cannot 
be  found  to  defray  the  expense  ;  and  consequently  the 
population  in  such  places  rapidly  become  heathens  in  a 
Christian  land;  while  if  those  among  them  who  value 
the  gospel,  Avould  only  disregard  the  petty  distinctions 
which  keep  them  apart,  they  might  enjoy  all  the  privi- 
leges of  the  Christian  religion,  and  be  bringing  up 
Christian,  instead  of  heathen  families. 

We  do  not  complain  that  too  much  money  is  expended 
for  the  support  of  the  gospel.  The  people  of  this  coun- 
try have  ample  means,  even  under  the  wasteful  expen- 
diture induced  by  our  sectarian  divisions,  to  sustain  the 
institutions  of  religion  at  home,  including  the  supply  of 


67 


the  destitute  in  our  new  settlemens  or  elsewhere  ;  but 
it  grieves  us  to  reflect  that  so  much  is  wasted  when  the 
whole  is  needed.  For  all  the  money  which  the  people 
are  willing  or  can  be  persuaded  to  cast  into  the  treasury 
of  the  Lord,  there  is  urgent  need  to  print  and  distribute 
Bibles  and  tracts,  to  promote  sabbath  schools,  to  sup- 
port the  cause  of  foreign  and  domestic  missions,  of  sea- 
men and  of  prisons  ;  institutions  which  some  in  almost 
all  the  denominations  of  Christians  are  hailing  as  the 
harbingers  of  the  latter  day  glory.  But  how  can  it  be 
expected  that  these  benevolent  associations  will  be  sus- 
tained with  a  liberality  in  any  degree  adequate  to  the 
exigency  of  the  times,  so  long  as  the  support  of  public 
worship  at  home  is  made  many  times  more  expensive 
than  it  need  be. 

Consider  also  the  prodigious  waste  of  men.  Should  a 
correct  computation  be  made  of  the  waste  of  men,  cau- 
sed by  the  division  of  the  church  into  sects,  the  result 
would  doubtless  surprise  even  those  who  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  mourning  over  this  waste  as  an  evil.  We 
ask,  can  the  church  afford  such  a  waste  1  The  truth  is, 
that  educated  men  of  piety,  are  scarce.  The  world 
needing  many  times  more  than  it  possesses,  to  answer 
all  the  purposes  of  benevolence,  and  there  is  a  great 
deficiency  even  to  supply  the  wants  of  our  own  country. 
How  great  then  is  the  pity  that  such  multitudes  should 
be  stationed  where  one  half  their  number  would  do  all 
their  profitable  business  as  well ;  and  how  much  more 
is  it  to  be  lamented  that  a  host  of  talented  men  should  be 
employed  in  building  and  repairing  partition  walls,  which 
the  interests  of  the  church  require  to  be  demolished. 

But  besides  the  wasteful  expenditure  of  men  and  mo- 
ney, there  are  other  tendencies  in  the  division  of  the 


58 


church  to  impair  its  energies  and  eventually  to  bring  it 
to  destruction.  The  Saviour  himself  recognised  the 
truth  of  the  sentiment  that  divisions  weaken  and  destroy, 
for  he  says,  Matt.  xii.  25,  "  Every  kingdom  divided 
against  itself  is  brought  to  desolation,  and  every  city 
and  house  divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand."  On 
what  possible  ground  the  church  should  be  exempted 
from  the  operation  of  a  principle  applicable  to  all  other 
communities,  Ave  are  at  a  loss  to  imagine. 

Let  us  advert  to  its  operation  in  politics.  There  are 
in  all  free  governments  two  parties,  one  of  them  sup- 
porting, and  the  other  opposing  the  administration. 
When  one  of  these  parties  fall  into  controversy  among 
themselves,  and  become  rent  into  two  or  more  divisions, 
does  that  party  gain  or  lose  strength  by  it  ?  Without 
doubt  its  strength  is  impaired  by  the  division.  In  regard 
to  the  subject  of  religion,  there  are  also  two  parties,  its 
friends  and  its  opposers.  Would  the  friends  of  religion 
be  encouraged  by  learning  that  infidels,  Roman  Ca- 
thoUcs,  Unitarians,  and  all  the  other  opposers  of  the 
cause  of  Christ,  had  united  under  one  name,  and  are 
acting  under  the  same  counsels  and  with  one  heart  in 
opposition  to  the  truth  of  God  1  And  would  our  opposers 
rejoice,  or  would  they  tremble  to  see  Christians  cease 
from  their  contentions,  healing  their  divisions,  and  uni- 
ting in  one  brotherhood,  to  bring  the  Avorld  to  the  obe- 
dience of  the  gospel? 

The  church  is  represented  as  engaged  in  a  warfare 
with  its  enemies.  To  wage  war,  it  is  necessary  that 
there  be  two  opposing  armies.  One  of  these  armies  we 
will  suppose  to  have  no  other  divisions  than  convenience 
requires,  each  division,  regiment,  battalion,  and  com- 
pany acting  under  the  command  of  one  general  in  chief; 


69 


the  other  army  is  divided  into  separate  bands,  all  pro- 
fessing indeed  to  be  on  the  same  side,  but  each  wholly 
independent  of  the  other,  and  of  comse  choosing  its 
own  time  and  mode  of  operations.  Which  of  those  two 
armies,  assuming  them  to  be  equal  in  numbers  and  skill, 
would  combine  the  greatest  strength  1  We  need  not  wait 
for  an  answer.  The  church  has  been  very  improperly 
compared  by  the  apologists  for  sect  to  the  host  of  the 
children  of  Israel  beautifully  divided  into  tribes,  each 
acting  under  its  own  prince  and  under  its  own  banner, 
and  marching  to  the  conquest  of  Canaan.  But  these 
tribes  were  led  by  one  commander,  and  were  moved  by 
one  soul ;  and  independence,  jealousy,  contention,  and 
discord  were  not  inscribed  on  the  banner  of  each,  as  they 
are  on  those  of  Christian  sects.  The  various  sects  do 
indeed  profess  to  be  subjected  to  the  same  captain, 
namely,  Jesus  Christ ;  but  his  commands  come  to  their 
prejudiced  ears  in  such  contradictory  sounds,  that  in- 
stead of  being  moved  to  act  in  unison,  they  m.ove  in  op- 
posite directions. 

The  pages  of  ecclesiastical  history  afford  ample  proof 
of  the  position  that  the  church  has  been  weakened  by 
its  divisions.  During  the  first  century  commencing  at 
the  birth  of  Christ,  when  the  church  was  united,  more 
was  done  to  diffuse  and  maintain  Christianity  in  its  pu- 
rity and  power,  than  in  many  centuries  after  she  was 
shorn  of  her  strength  by  becoming  the  subject  of  divi- 
sions. And  during  the  short  period  subsequent  to  the 
commencement  of  the  reformation,  while  the  protestant 
church  remained  undivided,  more  was  effected  in  the 
extension  of  Christianity  and  the  establishment  of  its  in- 
fluence, than  in  the  centuries  of  theological  controversy 
and  sectarian  zeal  which  have  followed.  What  progress 


60 


has  been  made  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies, in  the  demolition  of  Satan's  throne  ?  Nothing 
was  done,  save  what  was  done  by  the  Moravians  to  en- 
lighten the  darkness  of  heathenism,  nor  to  dispel  the 
delusions  of  Mahomet,  nor  to  purify  the  countries  co- 
vered with  the  abominations  of  poper)',  and  the  corrup- 
tions of  the  Greek  church ;  and  how  little,  if  any  thing 
was  done,  to  elevate  the  standard  of  religion  in  Christian 
lands,  or  to  supply  the  destitute  with  the  means  of  grace. 
And  why  has  the  church  made  no  progress?  Is  not 
Christianity  like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  whose  tend- 
ency is  to  grow  quickly  into  a  stately  tree,  so  that  the 
fowls  of  the  air  lodge  under  its  branches  ?  Is  it  not  like 
leaven,  whose  nature  is  to  diffuse  itself  through  the  whole 
lump  1  How  comes  it  then  that  the  church  has  not 
increased  in  holiness  and  extent?  The  strength  of  the 
church  lies  in  the  union  of  its  members  ;  but  the  bond 
of  union  has  been  broken,  and  the  church  has  conse- 
quently been  involved  in  a  protracted  civil  war  between 
her  own  members,  instead  of  invading  and  conquering 
the  country  of  the  enemy. 

Satan,  having  drawn  the  church  from  the  strong  po- 
sition of  its  unity,  has  persevered  in  his  efforts  to  pro- 
mote further  divisions,  and  has  been  too  succesful. 
Knowing  that  to  divide  is  to  conquer,  he  is  still  pursuing 
the  broken  ranks  of  his  enemy,  and  is  sowing  the  seeds 
of  discord  in  the  numerous  fragments.  Almost  every 
denomination  has,  within  a  few  years  past,  been  broken 
into  new  divisions,  and  some  appear  at  this  moment  to 
be  ripe  for  another  schism.  Unless  God  in  his  mercy 
interpose  and  breath  the  spirit  of  union  upon  his  church, 
we  see  not  what  is  to  prevent  the  process  of  subdivision 
to  continue  its  course  until  the  church  shall  in  truth  be 
brought  to  utter  desolation. 


61 


CHAPTER  III. 


OBJECTIONS  TO  THE  ABOLITION  OFSECTS 
ANSWERED. 


1.  That  the  benefit  of  emulation  will  be  lost.  2.  That  it  ivill  in- 
volve a  sacrifice  of  principle,  to  xmile  with  Christians  who  have  not 
the  same  faith.  There  is  one  faith  common  to  all  Christians.  — 
What  is  the  faith  once  delivered  to  tlie  saints,  —  and  how  to  be 
contended  for.  —  Forbearance  also  a  principle  not  to  be  sacrificed. 
—  3.  That  divers  denominations  are  necessary  to  preserve  purity  of 
doctrine.  4.  That  they  are  also  necessary  to  operate  upon  all  classes 
of  the  people.  5.  The  danger  of  imiling  church  and  state.  6.  That 
if  sects  were  abolished,  the  church  would  soon  again  be  divided. 

Having  exhibited  at  some  length  the  evils  of  sect, 
we  ought  perhaps  in  the  next  place  to  inquire  whether 
there  are  not  some  advantages  which  have  resulted  to 
the  church  from  its  divisions.  None  surely  to  balance 
the  terrible  evils  which  have  been  occasioned  by  them. 
Division  being  itself  an  evil,  any  advantage  that  may 
have  arisen  from  it,  cannot  prove  that  it  is  beneficial. 
6 


62 


It  proves  only  that  God  can  overrule  the  greatest  evils 
so  as  to  produce  from  them  some  measure  of  good. 
In  this  point  of  view,  every  evil  which  has  befallen  the 
church  or  the  world,  has  its  use.  We  are  informed, 
from  high  authority,  that  heresies  have  an  important 
use,  namely,  to  sift  the  church  of  its  chaff;  but  this  can 
scarcely  be  admitted  as  a  solid  reason  why  heresies 
should  be  countenanced  and  continued,  nor  would  it  be 
very  wise  to  institute  a  comparison  between  the  value 
of  heresy  and  that  of  the  truth  of  God.  Even  the  apos- 
tacy  of  our  first  parents  has  been  ovemiled  to  a  very 
valuable  purpose,  namely,  to  exhibit  the  justice  and  the 
mercy  of  God,  and  his  unfathomable  A\isdom.  Must 
we  therefore  defend  the  apostacy  and  cling  to  it?""  Or 
is  it  not  clearly  every  man's  duty  to  use  his  utmost  en- 
deavours to  recover  from  its  fatal  effects,  and  to  become 
holy  as  God  is  holy? 

If  we  have  not  made  a  very  overcharged  exhibition  of 
the  evils  of  division,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive 
that  there  can  be  any  advantages  to  conterbalance  them. 
If  we  have  proved  the  unlawfulness  and  the  unconstitu- 
tionality of  sectarian  divisions,  then  it  matters  not  how 
many  or  how  great  are  the  benefits  resulting  from  them ; 
for  we  may  not  weigh  the  advantages  resulting  from 
continuing  in  disobedience  to  God's  law  against  the 
crime  of  disobedience.  This  is  utterly  inadmissible. 
Yet  may  we  be  permitted,  in  order  to  give  to  our  sub- 
ject a  full  discussion,  to  examine  the  supposed  advan- 
tages of  the  divisions  in  the  church  :  this  we  shall  do 
while  we  answer  the  objections  which  are  made  to  the 
abolition  of  sects. 


63 


FIRST  OBJECTION. 

It  is  objected  that  by  abolishing  sects,  emulation  be- 
tween Christians,  which  is  one  of  the  most  powerful 
motives  of  action,  icill  be  desiro'yed. 

To  sustain  this  objection,  it  must  be  alleged  that 
while  the  church  is  divided  into  sects,  one  being  jealous 
of  the  prosperity  and  honours  of  the  rest,  they  will  be 
more  unwilling  to  be  outdone  in  any  good  work,  than  if 
the  church  were  united  under  one  name.  The  objector 
may,  however,  deny  that  the  emulation  of  opposing  de- 
nominations is  founded  on  jealousy  of  each  other's  well- 
fare  and  glory,  and  may  simply  appeal  to  the  injunction 
upon  Christians,  to  "  provoke  one  another  to  good 
works,"  and  may  insist  that  this  command  will  be  best 
performed  by  the  church  in  its  divided  state. 

It  is  the  misfortune  of  error,  always  to  be  driven  to 
false  principles  to  support  its  positions ;  and  its  advo- 
cates are  often  under  the  necessity  of  appealing  to  un- 
holy motives,  not  sanctioned,  but  condemned  in  the 
word  of  God.  We  can  readily  conceive  how  the  praise- 
worthy conduct  of  an  individual  Christian  may  provoke 
(that  is  excite)  another  to  imitate  and  even  excel  him  ; 
and  how  the  good  works  of  Christians  in  one  place  may 
incite  those  of  another  place  to  follow  the  example ; 
and  we  see  not  why  the  power  of  example  cannot  ope- 
rate as  effectually  upon  Christians  in  the  united  church, 
as  when  divided  into  parties.  The  only  reason  that  can 
possibly  be  assigned,  is  that  sects  are  envious  and  jea- 
lous of  the  success  enjoyed,  and  the  commendation 
bestowed  upon  other  sects,  and  this  gives  power  to  the 
principle  of  emulation,  which  prompts  each  to  excel, 
and  thereby  appropriate  to  itself  the  profit  and  praise 


64 


which  would  otherwise  fall  to  the  share  of  its  rival. 
The  history  of  sects  abundantly  shows  that  they  have 
been  more  swift  to  follow  evil  than  good  example. 
What  one  has  learned  from  and  has  been  excited  to  do 
by  the  example  of  another,  has  been  directed  more  to 
the  interests  of  party  than  to  advance  the  kingdom  of 
Christ.  And  what  better  could  be  expected  as  the  fruit 
of  so  unholy  a  motive,  as  that  of  envy  or  jealousy? 
From  these  sordid  passions,  arise  all  the  emulation  that 
exists  between  opposing  sects,  at  least  all  that  can  fur- 
nish a  more^  powerful  motive  than  that  which  may 
actuate  Christians  in  the  united  state  of  the  church.  It 
is  this  emulation  which  is  condemned  by  the  apostle 
as  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  flesh,  springing,  as  it  does, 
from  the  corruption  of  the  unregenerate  heart.  Gal.  v. 
19  to  21.  When  the  happy  exemphfication  of  Christian 
character  or  conduct  by  one  man,  or  by  the  church  in 
one  place,  becomes  the  means  of  awakening  the  atten- 
tion of  other  men,  or  of  the  churches  in  another  place, 
and  of  exciting  them  by  the  exhibition  of  what  others  can 
do,  and  are  willing  to  do  for  Christ,  to  go  and  do  like- 
wise, without  the  desire  of  gratifying  jealousy  or  self 
glorying,  then  alone  are  Christians  provoked  or  excited 
to  love  and  good  works  from  scripturcJ  motives.  This 
was  the  use  which  the  apostle  sought  to  make  of  a 
praiseworthy  example,  when  he  commended  to  the  Co- 
rinthians the  liberality  of  the  churches  of  Macedonia. 
2  Cor.  viii.  The  apology  for  sectarian  divisions,  on 
the  ground  that  the  church  will  lose  the  benefit  of  carnal 
emulations,  is  only  a  specimen  of  the  body  of  false  ethics, 
which  have  been  learned  in  the  school  of  sect.  We 
have  already  exposed  numerous  instances,  and  will  dis- 
discover  many  more,  as  we  proceed  in  our  discussion. 


65 


The  advocates  for  sect  seem  absolutely  to  have  for- 
gotten that  love — not  the  love  of  sect  —  but  the  love  of 
holiness,  the  love  of  Christ,  the  love  of  mankind,  is 
represented  in  the  Scriptures  as  the  most  powerful  of 
all  the  motives  that  can  actuate  an  intelligent  mind.  It 
was  love  that  moved  the  Father  to  spare  his  well  belo- 
ved Son,  and  moved  the  Son  to  leave  his  Father,  as- 
sume the  nature  of  man,  and  suffer,  and  die.  It  was 
the  love  of  Christ  that  moved  Paul,  and  all  the  holy 
apostles,  to  forsake  all  and  endure  all  things,  that  they 
might  please  and  obey  him,  and  benefit  mankind.  It 
was  the  principle  of  holy  love  which  the  apostle  Paul 
names  as  the  constraining  power  that  actuated  the  gen- 
uine preachers  of  the  gospel.  It  is  the  same  principle 
which  he  describes  with  so  much  eloquence  and  force, 
as  that  which  sustains  the  Christian  under  tribulation, 
distress,  persecution,  famine,  nakedness,  peril,  and 
sword.  Rom.  viii.  35,  &c.  And  when  will  this  principle 
exhibit  its  greatest  efficiency ;  while  it  is  contaminated 
and  enfeebled  by  its  commixture  with  sectarian  and 
party  pride,  envy,  jealousy,  and  emulations  ;  or  when 
its  professors  shall  have  achieved  the  victory  over  their 
carnal  affections,  healed  the  dissentions  in  the  church, 
and  united  in  one  brotherhood  the  family  of  God  on 
earth  ? 

Further,  if  the  division  of  the  church  gives  birth  to  a 
more  powerful  motive  to  do  good,  than  can  exist  in  its 
undivided  state,  it  seems  strange  that  Christians  are 
not  commanded,  or  at  least  encouraged  to  split  into  par- 
ties, so  as  to  put  themselves  into  the  best  possible  con- 
dition for  doing  good.  It  is  passing  strange  that  the 
apostle  Paul,  who  enjoins  it  upon  Christians  to  provoke 
one  another  to  love  and  good  works,  should  not  only 
6* 


66 


have  neglected  to  point  to  the  best  mode  of  effecting 
this  object,  the  division  of  the  church,  but  that  he 
should  have  enjoined  the  Corinthian  believers,  who 
were  already  splitting  into  parties,  that  there  must  be  no 
divisions  among  them. 

SECOND  OBJECTION. 

Another  objection  to  the  abolition  of  sects,  is  that  it 
involves  a  sacrifice  of  principle,  to  unite  with  Christians 
of  a  different  faith. 

In  the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  the  apostle  Paul 
exhorts  the  saints  and  the  faithful  in  that  city,  evidently 
including  those  Avho  loved  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity,  with  all  lowliness  and  meekness  to  forbear  one 
another  in  love,  and  that  they  should  endeavour  to  keep 
the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace.  The  argu- 
ment upon  which  he  founds  the  duty  of  forbearance,  is 
that  there  is  one  body  and  one  spirit,  even  as  they  were 
all  called  in  one  hope  of  their  calling;  and  that  there  is 
one  Lord,  one  faith,  and  one  baptism.  Eph.  iv.  2  to  5. 
In  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  verses  of  the  same  chapter, 
he  states  the  end  or  design  of  the  means  of  grace  enjoy- 
ed by  the  church,  to  be  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of 
Christ,  "  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and 
the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God  to  a  perfect  man." 

These  verses  evidently  convey  the  idea  that  there  is 
a  faith  common  to  all  believers,  even  as  the  hope  of  their 
calling  is  common  to  them  all.  That  the  Christians  at 
Ephesus  were  perfectly  united  in  all  points  essential  and 
unessential,  can  scarcely  be  believed,  although  the 
jipostle  does  not  mention  any  particular  differences  as 
existing  between  them.  That  they  were  liable  to  such 
differences,  is  evidenced  by  the  injunction  made  by  the 


67 


apostle  of  the  duty  of  forbearance  to  be  exercised  by  one 
towards  another,  being  bound  together  by  the  same 
hope,  faith,  baptism,  and  under  the  authority  of  one 
master. 

What  sacrifice  of  principle  is  demanded  by  the  pro- 
posal to  unite  in  one  church  all  the  saints  of  God  ?  Is 
it  asked  of  you  that  you  shall  renounce  the  belief  of 
what  appears  to  you  to  be  the  mind  of  God,  in  any  por- 
tion of  his  word  1  By  no  means.  You  are  left  at  per- 
fect liberty  to  adhere  to  your  own  belief,  without  the 
surrender  of  a  single  article  or  point ;  but  you  ought  to 
be  willing  to  allow  the  same  freedom  of  opinion  to 
others  which  you  demand  for  yourself.  Do  you  answer 
I  am  Avilling  that  Christians  should  adhere  to  their  opin- 
ion, though  different  from  my  own :  but  they  must  go 
to  another  church?  We  answer,  this  is  not  forbear- 
ance, but  merely  abstinence  from  the  grosser  forms  of 
coercion  and  persecution.  That  there  is  a  wide  differ- 
ence between  these,  you  will  readily  concede. 

Do  you  know.  Christian  brother,  what  you  mean  by 
a  sacrifice  of  principle,  as  being  demanded  of  you  by 
the  proposal  to  belong  to  the  same  church  with  those 
who  do  not  in  all  things  agree  with  yourself?  Or  do 
you  only  require  that  those  who  shall  live  in  the  same 
communion  with  yourself  should  embrace  every  doctrine 
which  you  hold  to  be/imrfamen/aZ  ?  Then  there  is  no 
difference  between  us  ;  for  all  Christians  fundamentally 
and  essenfially  have  but  one  faith,  according  to  the  as- 
sertion of  the  apostle  above  quoted. 

Or  do  you  contend  that  to  belong  to  the  same  church, 
its  members  should  have  the  same  creed  on  all  impor- 
tant points  ?  Then  it  may  be  necessary  for  you  to  de- 
fine what  you  mean  by  the  word  important.    If  that 


68 

word  conveys  to  your  mind  an  idea  different  from  the 
word  fundamental  or  essential,  we  demand  of  you  what 
authority  you  have  from  the  Scriptures,  for  refusing  to 
hold  communion  with  such  as  you  admit  to  be  sound'in 
the  faith  on  all  fundamental  points,  and  yet  differ  from 
you  on  matters  not  fundamental  but  important.  It  is 
obviously  more  easy  to  discover  from  the  Bible  what  are 
the  essential  articles  of  the  Christian  faith,  than  what 
are  the  important  ones ;  and  Christians  standing  free 
from  the  artificial  shackles  of  sect,  would  find  little  or  no 
difficulty  to  unite  in  a  declaration  of  what  are  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  of  the  gospel.  If  a  definition  can  be 
made  at  all  of  the  word  important,  when  applicable  to 
matters  of  religious  belief,  it  must  be  entirely  of  the  in- 
vention of  man ;  and  on  this  subject,  there  is  room  for 
so  much  difference  of  sentiment,  as  that  scarcely  two 
intelligent  Christians  would  be  found  of  the  same  opin- 
ion. The  truth  is  that  every  doctrine  contained  in  the 
Bible  is  more  or  less  important ;  and  if  the  children  of 
God  must  be  agreed  on  every  important  article  of  be- 
lief, before  they  can,  without  a  sacrifice  of  principle, 
belong  to  the  same  church,  they  must  either  be  perfectly 
of  one  mind,  as  to  every  tenet  they  draw  from  the  Scrip- 
tures, or  they  must  find  some  scale  which  has  never  yet 
been  discovered,  whereby  to  determine  how  important 
a  given  article  of  belief  must  be,  to  warrant  a  separation 
between  Christians.  This  will  be  conceded  to  be  im- 
practicable ;  and  therefore  the  objector  is  driven  to  take 
the  ground  that  every  man  must  be  his  own  judge  of  the 
importance  of  any  specified  doctrine  ;  and  that  he  is  at 
liberty  to  belong  or  not  to  belong  to  the  same  commun- 
ion with  others  who  differ  from  him,  according  to  his 
own  private  judgement  of  its  importance.    And  thus  we 


69 


are  left  without  any  rule  of  action,  except  the  judgement 
of  the  individual,  irrespective  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
And  then  it  results  in  this  that  the  principle  which  the 
objector  is  so  reluctant  to  sacrifice,  is  not  any  principle 
deduced  from  the  only  standard  of  faith  and  practice, 
but  his  own  private  fancy. 

We  presume  it  will  not  be  denied  that  our  Saviour  was 
as  tenacious  of  principle  as  any  of  his  followers  ought  to 
be.  But  he  remained  in  the  same  spiritual  family  with 
his  disciples,  notwithstanding  their  doubts  and  their  un- 
belief of  doctrines  which  were,  in  his  view,  very  impor- 
tant, namely,  the  spirituality  of  his  kingdom,  his  death, 
and  resurrection;  he  having  received  them  upon  the 
evidence  they  gave  of  their  attachment  to  him  and  his 
cause,  and  their  belief  in  him  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
promised  Messiah.  If  in  his  ministry  he  was  more  lax 
in  the  admission  of  disciples  than  he  designed  his  fol- 
lowers should  be,  this  can  only  be  inferred  either  from 
the  dimness  of  the  light,  then  but  dawning  upon  the 
world,  when  compared  with  the  full  light  that  was  there- 
after to  shine  upon  it,  or  from  some  command  or  intima- 
tion given  by  himself,  or  by  his  inspired  apostles  after 
his  death.  We  may  indeed  require  a  different  degree  of 
evidence  touching  the  Christian  character  of  such  as 
may  apply  for  admission  into  the  church,  than  what  was 
required  by  the  Saviour  and  his  apostles,  since  we  have 
now  a  more  full  revelation  from  God,  as  to  what  con- 
stitutes that  character,  than  what  was  given  in  the  Old 
Testament ;  which  was  all  the  Scripture  then  extant : 
and  inasmuch  as  a  simple  avowal  of  faith  in  Christ,  in 
that  period  of  the  church,  afforded,  under  all  the  cir- 
cumstances then  existing,  stronger  evidence  of  a  change 
of  heart  than  the  same  act  would  now  afford ;  yet  the 


70 


inquiry  in  relation  to  proper  subjects  of  church  member- 
ship must,  at  this  day,  be  directed  to  the  same  point  to 
which  it  was  then  directed,  namely,  to  ascertain  whether 
they  have  passed  from  death  to  life,  from  darkness  to 
light.  We  may  be  allowed  at  this  day  to  be  more  mi- 
nute in  our  inquiries,  both  as  to  matters  of  faith  and  reli- 
gious conduct,  in  order  to  arrive  at  this  conclusion,  in 
proportion  to  the  facilities  now  enjoyed  of  knowing  with 
certainty  the  mind  of  God  on  points  of  faith  and  practice, 
and  the  inducements  to  make  a  profession  of  religion, 
while  the  heart  is  unrenewed,  when  compared  with  the 
first  periods  of  Christianity.  But  inasmuch  as  the  Sa- 
viour did  not  insist  as  a  text  of  discipleship,  that  those 
whom  he  received  should  assent  to  every  important  arti- 
cle which  he  kneiv  to  be  contained  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, what  right  have  w^e  to  demand  as  a  condition  of 
church  membership  an  assent  to  every  important  article 
which  ive  believe,  but  do  not  hiow  to  be  contained  in  the 
Scriptures  ?  As  Christ  required  from  his  disci])les  such 
a  belief  as  afforded  reasonable  evidence  of  their  love  to 
God,  so  we  may  require  such  a  belief  as  to  afford  rea- 
sonable evidence  of  the  same  fact.  But  as  soon  as  we 
push  our  inquiries  beyond  this  point,  we  cease  to  follow 
the  example  of  our  Lord  and  Master,  and  require  what 
we  have  no  warrant  to  require. 

If  Christ  or  his  apostles  have  given  us  any  other  di- 
rections as  to  the  terms  of  church  fellowship,  than  those 
which  he  himself  practised,  we  may  lawfully  follow 
them,  and  are  bound  so  to  do.  No  such  directions  are 
found  in  the  New  Testament.  The  Saviour  himself 
evidently  desired  that  all  his  disciples  should  be  one  in 
feeling,  in  counsel,  in  action,  and  in  name,  even  as  he 
and  the  Father  were  one.    The  apostles  practised  on 


71 


no  different  principle  than  their  Master  had  done  before 
them  in  the  reception  of  members  into  the  church.  And 
Paul  directs  the  church  at  Rome,  after  having  strongly 
inculcated  the  principle  of  forbearance,  to  receive  one 
another,  as  Christ  also  received  them,  to  the  glory  of 
God.    Rom.  xvi.  7. 

The  objector  still  urges  that  Christians  are  command- 
ed, Jude  3,  to  "  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints  ;"  and  how,  it  is  asked,  shall  Ave 
contend  for  the  faith,  if  we  give  countenance  to  error, 
by  holding  church  fellowship  with  those  who  deny  it  1 
The  question  is  what  the  apostle  Jude  intended  by  the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  From  the  context  it 
seems  quite  evident  to  us  that  he  refers  to  the  faith 
which  was  not  possessed  by  those  migodhj  men  who  had 
crept  in,  unawares,  turning  the  giace  of  God,  into 
laciviousness,  and  denying  the  only  Lord  God,  and  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ;  that  he  means  the  same  faith  which 
is  common  to  all  real  Christians,  and  of  which  the  apostle 
Peter  speaks,  2  Pet.  i.  1,  where  he  addresses  those 
who  had  obtained  the  like  precious  faith  with  himself, 
through  the  righteousness  of  God,  and  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ;  that  it  is  the  same  faith  of  which  St.  Paul 
speaks,  Eph.  iv.  5,  where  he  declares  that  as  there  is 
but  one  Lord,  so  there  is  but  one  faith ;  and  that  must 
be  the  faith  which  is  common  to  all  who  love  the  Sa- 
viour. "  The  doctrine  of  the  primitive  church  is  to  be 
"  learnt  with  the  utmost  certainty,  from  the  books  of  the 
"  New  Testament.  These  books  were  received  by  the 
"leading  men  in  the  Christian  assemblies,  and  ap- 
"  proved  of  by  the  people  at  large  ;  they  were  pubhcly 
"  read  and  carefully  preserved  and  transmitted,  and  hav- 
"  ing  been  collected  into  a  volume,  towards  the  end  of 


72 


"  the  first  century,  they  became  to  all  the  followers  of 
"  Jesus  throughout  the  world,  the  only  standard  of  faith, 
"  and  the  only  rule  of  righteous  conduct.  The  primi- 
"  tive  church  believed  that  there  is  one  God  uncreated 
"  and  everlasting  ;  that  the  Logos  or  Word  of  God,  who 
"  was  in  the  beginning  with  God,  and  was  God,  became 
"  bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh,  and  dwelt 
"  upon  the  earth  ;  that  he  gave  himself  for  us,  an  offer- 
"  ing  and  a  sacrifice,  and  that  being  justified  by  faith, 
"  we  have  peace  with  God  ;  that  our  present  state  is  a 
"  state  of  condemnation,  corruption,  and  sufiering ;  that 
"  by  the  transgression  of  our  first  progenitor,  sin  entered 
"  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin,  and  that  death  hath 
"  passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned.  That 
"  the  soul  of  man  shall  exist  in  a  future  and  unchangea- 
"ble  state  of  happiness  or  misery  ;  that  by  the  influence 
"  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  our  understandings  are  enlightened 
"  in  all  heavenly  knowledge,  and  our  hearts  changed 
"  from  all  evil  dispositions ;  that  Jesus  Christ  having 
"  risen  from  the  dead,  will  appear  in  the  end  of  all 
"  things,  as  the  judge  of  the  whole  world,  and  that  in 
"  the  great  day  of  trial  and  retribution,  he  will  receive 
"  his  followers  into  mansions  of  happiness,  where  they 
"  shall  abide  forever,  beholding  his  glory,  the  glory 
"  which  he  had  with  the  Father,  before  the  world  was. 
"  Tliis  is  the  sum  of  the  doctrine  maintained  by  the  early 
"churches,  and  it  is  this  doctrine  alone  which  they 
"  asreed  in  considering  'as  the  faith  once  delivered  to 
"  the  saints."  Edinburgh  Encyclopedia,  vol.  viii.  126. 
Title  "  Ecclesiastical  History." 

But  if  the  objector  has  satisfied  himself  on  due  exa- 
mination, and  the  exercise  of  his  deliberate  judgement, 
what  is  precisely  in  all  points  the  faith  mentioned  by  the 


73 


apostle  Jude,  so  as  to  distinguish  it  from  the  faith  of  all 
other  sects  than  his  own,  we  will  ask  him  not  to  surren- 
der the  privilege  of  contending  for  it  as  earnestly  as  his 
sense  of  the  injunction  may  warrant ;  but  we  entreat 
him  not  to  contend  for  it  in  a  manner  manifestly  unlaw- 
ful. Let  him  argue  and  persuade  with  all  his  powers, 
and  with  all  the  perseverance  which  the  desire  and  hope 
of  doing  good  may  inspire  ;  but  let  him  not  contend  for 
the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,  by  driving  from  or 
keeping  out  of  his  church  every  Christian  who  cannot 
conscientiously  assent  to  every  article  in  his  creed,  nor 
by  refusing  to  hold  full  Christian  fellowship  with  such  as 
he  has  reason  to  believe  really  and  truly  to  be  members 
of  Christ's  spiritual  body.  Jesus  Christ  did  not  so 
contend  for  the  faith,  when  he  received  his  disciples 
with  all  their  obscurity  of  views,  their  prejudices  and 
misapprehensions.  The  apostles  did  not  contend  for 
the  faith  delivered  to  the  saints,  by  cutting  of  from  the 
church  such  as  conscientiously  believed  circumcision  to 
be  required  under  the  Christian  dispensation.  St.  Paul 
commanded  the  Corinthians  to  excommunicate  the  in- 
cestuous person,  and  directed  Titus  to  cast  incorrigible 
heretics  out  of  the  church;  he  expressed  to  the  Gala- 
tians  his  wish  that  the  corrupt  teachers  who  had  troubled 
them  and  seduced  them  from  their  belief  in  the  right- 
eousness which  is  of  faith  and  not  of  works,  were  cut 
off;  but  he  does  not  advise  the  more  orthodox  Galatians 
to  organize  themselves  into  a  church,  and  adopt  such  a 
creed  as  would  exclude  their  less  orthodox  or  less  esta- 
blished brethren.  ■  On  the  contrary,  he  exhorts  all  the 
brethren  not  to  bite  and  devour  one  another ;  to  main- 
tain love,  peace,  long  suffering,  and  to  restore  in  meek- 
ness such  as  had  been  overtaken  in  a  fault,  without  dis- 
7 


74 


tinguishing  whether  this  long  suffering  was  to  be  ob- 
served towards  delinquents  in  matters  of  faith,  or  mat- 
ters of  practice.  In  the  ample  instructions  given  in  the 
epistles  to  Timothy  and  Titus,  in  regard  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  church,  not  a  word  is  uttered  that  can  be 
construed  into  a  command  or  even  a  warrant  to  exclude 
such  as  have  not  the  same  views  of  divine  truth  in  every 
particular  with  themselves.  The  epistles  and  the  book 
of  revelations  furnish  us  with  many  of  the  marks  of  un- 
christian professors  and  teachers,  and  particularize 
many  matters  of  belief,  the  maintenance  or  denial  of 
which  evidence  the  state  of  the  heart ;  but  in  no  in- 
stance is  any  countenance  given  to  the  idea  of  with- 
drawing from  or  excluding  such  as  hold  to  the  founda- 
tion  of  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  It  was 
left  io  God  to  consume  the  wood,  hay,  and  stubble  that 
might  be  erected  upon  the  true  foundation. 

Were  Jesus  Christ  or  his  apostles  less  acquainted 
with  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,  or  were  they 
less  tenacious  of  principle  than  the  apologists  of  sect  at 
the  present  day?  They  were  intimately  acquainted 
with  every  principle  of  religion,  and  of  the  relative  im- 
portance of  every  one  of  them.  There  is  no  principle 
more  earnestly  or  more  clearly  inculcated  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, than  that  of  Christian  forbearance,  m  both  mat- 
ters of  faith  and  practice,  enforced  by  the  fact  of  the 
unity  of  the  church,  all  its  members  being  members  one 
of  another,  and  Christ  the  head  of  the  whole  body. 
You,  then,  who  are  so  fearful  of  making  a  sacrifice  of 
principle,  what  exempts  you  from  the  observance  of  the 
principle  of  forbearance  which  stands  out  so  clearly 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  inspired  volume,  as  that  he 
who  runs  may  read  1    The  principle  to  which  you  tena- 


75 


ciously  adhere  is,  to  speak  in  the  mildest  terms  of  hu- 
man invention,  and  not  to  be  found  in  the  Bible.  While, 
then,  you  make  conscience  of  not  sacrificing  a  principle 
for  which  you  have  only  the  authority  of  man,  you  do 
not  scruple  to  violate  a  most  important  principle,  taught 
and  strenuously  insisted  on  in  the  oracles  of  God. 

This  notion  of  a  sacrifice  of  principle  being  involved 
in  belonging:  to  the  same  church  with  those  who  do  not 
in  all  points  agree  is,  after  all,  rather  an  error  of  the 
heart,  than  a  mistake  of  the  judgement ;  in  other  words, 
it  is  but  an  apology  for  the  manifestation  of  wrong  feel- 
ings towards  those  who  have  obtained  like  precious  faith 
with  themselves.    This  we  infer  from  the  facility  with 
which  the  notion  is,  in  piacdce,  often  abandoned  by 
good  men,  who  are  by  no  means  deficient  in  judgement. 
A  mere  change  of  circumstances  is  often  followed  by  a 
change  of  conduct  in  such  as  previously  refrained  from 
holding  Christian  fellowship  with  their  brethren  of  an- 
other denomination,  lest  it  should  countenance  their  er- 
rors, or  otherwise  involve  a  sacrifice  of  principle.  A 
marriage  sometimes  effects  a  total  revolution  in  this  par- 
ticular with  a  whole  family,  and  that  without  exciting 
any  surprise,  or  causing  any  suspicion  as  to  the  purity 
of  their  motives,  or  any  doubt  of  the  propriety  of  their 
conduct.    Often  has  a  minister  of  the  gospel  been  call- 
ed to  take  the  charge,  and  actually  taken  charge  of  a 
church  composed  of  the  very  men  with  whom  he  could 
not  previously  have  held  Christian  fellowship,  nor  they 
with  him,  without  being  accused  by  themselves  and 
others  of  having  made  a  sacrifice  of  principle.  And 
these  changes  take  place,  without  the  consciousness  in 
any  of  the  parties,  that  any  principle  has  been  sacrificed. 


76 


THIRD  OBJECTION. 

Another  objection  against  the  abolition  of  sects  is, 
that  divers  denominations  are  necessary  to  preserve  the 
purity  of  doctrine. 

There  is  a  class  of  sectarians  who  conceive  of  the 
truth  as  the  miser  does  of  a  precious  jewel,  that  may  be 
locked  up  in  a  casket,  and  remain  there  for  ages,  and 
preserve  all  its  intrinsic  value.  The  man  of  business 
would  estimate  the  value  of  the  jewel  by  its  utility  in  car- 
rying on  the  purposes  of  trade,  and  in  purchasing  the 
necessaries  of  life.  The  man  of  benevolence  would 
«  esteem  it  valuable  only,  as  it  would  serve  to  diffuse  the 
means  of  comfort  and  happiness  among  his  fellow  crea- 
tures. But  these  sectarians  seem  happy  in  the  thought 
of  possessing  a  document  setting  forth  in  uninspired 
language  their  peculiar  views  of  doctrine  in  the  form  of 
a  creed,  catechism,  confession  of  faith,  or  system  of 
theology,  and  they  carefully  lock  it  up  in  their  own 
small  denomination,  as  a  precious  jewel,  not  to  be  seen 
or  to  benefit  any  but  themselves  and  their  own  children. 
They  are  perfectly  aware  that  their  own  sect  is  too  weak 
to  carry  the  gospel  abroad  to  the  heathen  and  the  desti- 
tute, and  they  feel  under  no  obligation  to  make  the  at- 
tempt. If  they  entertain  the  hope  that  the  pure  doctrine 
in  their  possession  will  ever  benefit  the  world,  the  hope 
must  be  founded  on  the  supposition  that  by  some  means 
to  them  unknown  and  unthought  of  the  savour  of  its  in- 
trinsic excellence  will  be  diffused  on  every  side,  until, 
like  leaven,  it  shall  fill  the  earth  with  its  fragrance. 
They  conceive  of  the  truth  in  their  possession  as  of  the 
most  fine  gold,  and  rather  than  to  hazard  its  admixture 
with  the  less  precious  silver  and  brass  of  other  denomi- 


77 


nations,  they  would  leave  the  world  under  the  tyranny 
of  Satan,  and  its'inhabitants  to  drop,  by  thousands,  an- 
nually, into  the  bottomless  pit.  Surely  no  argument 
can  be  necessary  to  expose  the  folly  and  wickedness  of 
such  contracted  unscriptural  views. 

There  is  another  class  of  Christians  who  believe  that 
the  different  denominations  hold  each  other  in  check 
and  preserve  between  them  the  balance  of  truth.  This 
is  a  quaint  notion,  and  although  entertained  by  numbers, 
cannot  have  been  adopted  as  a  sentiment  upon  very  ma- 
ture consideration.  Were  all  sects  abolished,  so  as  to 
leave  Christians  at  liberty  to  study  the  creeds  of  other 
denominations,  they  might  from  them  all  compose  a 
formula  of  faith  which  would  possibly  be  nearer  the 
truth  than  any  human  production  that  has  yet  appeared  ; 
but  how  the  articles  of  one  church  can  hold  in  check  the 
articles  of  another,  or  how  the  balance  of  truth  can  thus 
be  preserved,  is  to  us  utterly  unintelligible.  The  truth 
of  one  creed  is  not  needed  to  hold  in  check  the  truth  of 
another,  for  if  they  are  both  truths,  they  require  neither 
to  be  checked,  or  balanced.  The  truth  of  one  cannot 
check  or  balance  the  error  of  another,  for  every  deno- 
mination adheres  closely  to  its  own  truths  and  its  own 
eiTors ;  and  it  certainly  will  not  be  pretended  that  the 
errors  of  one  serve  any  valuable  purpose  to  check  or 
balance  the  errors  of  another.  But  suppose  the  check 
or  balance  may  be  actually  inherent  in  the  variety  of 
creeds,  how  and  upon  whom  are  the  benefits  of  it  to 
be  made  to  bear?  Were  but  a  portion  of  the  Christian 
community  divided  into  sects,  the  residue  would  reap 
all  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  this  check ;  but  to 
whose  benefit  is  it  to  inure,  since  every  professor  of 
religion  is  obliged  to  belong  to  one  sect  or  another,  and 

7* 


78 


13  mduty  bound,  by  the  laws  of  sect  to  prefer  his  own  to 
all  the  rest,  in  the  same  sense  that  a  citizen  is  bound  to 
adhere  to  his  own  country,  when  opposed  by  all  the  world 
besides.  All  the  profit,  then,  of  this  balance  of  truth 
must  be  left  to  those  who  make  no  pretensions  to  reli- 
gion, and  who  of  course  cannot  be  supposed  to  be  verj' 
solicitous  on  the  subject  of  theological  truth. 

But  to  speak  without  irony,  we  verily  beheve  that  in- 
stead of  the  different  denominations  holding  each  other 
in  check,  the  creed  of  one  drives  another  farther  from 
the  Bible,  and  that  instead  of  preserving  the  balance  of 
truth  between  them,  sectarian  divisions  have  a  strong 
tendency  to  mar  the  beauty,  corrupt  the  purity  and  destroy 
the  power  of  truth.  It  is  certain  that  of  the  opposite 
articles  of  different  creeds,  one  or  the  other  must  be 
erroneous.  By  being  adopted  as  a  matter  of  faith  in  a 
certain  denomination,  the  error  is  perpetuated ;  while 
but  for  the  existence  of  sectarian  divisions,  it  might  soon 
have  been  buried  in  oblivion.  That  practical  religion 
has  much  degenerated  under  the  dominion  of  sect,  is 
most  certain,  wliich  could  scarcely  have  been  the  result, 
if  a  diversity  of  denominations  serve  to  preserve  the  pu- 
rity of  doctrine.  We  are  willing  to  concede  that  the 
doctrinal  opinions  held  in  one  sect  may,  in  some  instan- 
ces, have  been  modified  by  such  as  are  held  in  an  anta- 
gonist one  ;  but  we  deny  that  this  is  at  all  attributable  to 
the  existence  of  sectarian  divisions.  This  is  merely  the 
influence  of  mind  upon  mind,  and  the  same  operation 
would  be  going  on,  were  the  church  again  united. 
There  would  then,  without  doubt,  be  differences  of 
opinion  on  unessential  matters,  and  all  the  benefit  of  the 
influence  of  mind  upon  mind  would  still  be  realized ; 
with  this  important  advantage,  that  the  prejudices,  non- 


79 


intercourse  and  opposition  caused  by  distinctions  of  sect, 
would  not  subsist  among  those  of  the  same  church,  and 
there  would  be  more  candour,  sincerity,  and  simplicity 
of  desire  to  learn  the  truth  from  each  other,  than  there 
now  is. 

The  best  scheme  for  preserving  the  purity  of  doctrine, 
according  to  some  Roman  Catholic  divines,  is  to  in- 
vest in  a  council  of  ecclesiastical  dignitaries,  the  prero- 
gative of  determining  in  all  cases  what  shall  be  re- 
ceived as  the  truth.  We  do  not  readily  perceive  why 
one  member  of  such  a  council  might  not  be  a  check 
upon  the  other,  nor  why  the  different  individuals  who 
compose  the  Council  may  not  preserve  the  balance  of 
truth  between  them,  quite  as  well  as  the  different  sccls. 
There  is  this  advantage  in  favour  of  the  council,  that  it 
forms  but  one  body,  the  majority  whereof  declares  the 
rule,  while  among  the  sects,  each  one  declares  for  it- 
self, no  one  having  authority  over  the  rest ;  and  there- 
fore Protestants  can  receive  the  truth  only  in  contradic- 
tory decrees  pronounced  by  a  multitude  of  independent 
courts.  The  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church, 
on  the  other  hand,  enjoy  the  privilege  of  knowing  the 
exact  truth,  as  declared  by  one  infallible  court,  free 
from  the  trouble,  labour,  and  perplexity  of  balancing  a 
multitude  of  conflicting  decisions.  In  point  of  theory, 
the  church  of  Rome  seems  to  possess  a  decided  advan- 
tage, and  we  might  be  tempted  to  give  the  preference  to 
her  views  of  the  rules  of  faith  and  judge  of  controversy, 
did  not  we  know  how  lamentably  Christianity  has  been 
corrupted  by  her,  if  not  wholly  banished  from  her  com- 
munion. 

Both  Roman  Catholics  and  sectarian  Protestants  ad- 
mit that  the  truth  is  not  so  clearly  expressed  in  the 


60 


Scriptures ;  but  that  it  requires  to  be  written  over  again, 
in  different  language,  by  authority  of  the  church,  to  make 
it  intelligible,  and  dehver  it  from  controversy.  There 
are  indeed  two  points  of  difference  between  them  ;  Pro- 
testants place  the  authority  in  many  councils,  and  the 
Catholics  admit  of  but  one.  The  latter  pronounce  the 
decrees  of  their  own  council  to  be  infallible  ;  the  former 
do  not  in  terms  claim  the  decisions  of  their  many  coun- 
cils to  be  infallible,  but  many  of  them  adhere  to  those 
decisions  with  as  much  tenacity  to  all  practical  purpo- 
ses, as  if  they  were  infallible.  In  discussing  the  ques- 
tion on  the  rule  of  faith  and  judge  of  controversy  with 
the  Catholics,  the  Protestant  sectarians  make  the  Bible 
the  only  rule  of  faith,  and  every  man  for  himself,  under 
the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  judge  of  what  the 
Bible  means  ;  but  when  they  deal  with  a  clergyman  or 
layman  of  iheir  own  denomination,  while  the  Scriptures 
are,  in  theory,  admitted  to  be  the  only  rule  of  faith,  the 
the  church  is  substituted  for  the  conscience  of  the  indi- 
vidual, who  must,  by  uniting  himself  with  the  church, 
surrender  his  judgement  to  her  dictates. 

We  believe  that  purity  of  doctrine  was  maintained  in 
the  days  of  the  aposdes,  and  in  the  primitive  ages  of 
Christianity,  without  the  aid  of  sectarian  divisions  ;  and 
if  a  united  church  was  competent,  with  the  help  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  understand  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures 
of  truth  in  that  period,  we  cannot  comprehend  >how  it 
can  be  necessary,  in  this  age  of  the  world,  to  keep  the 
church  in  its  divided  state,  in  order  to  preserve  the  right 
understanding  of  the  Scriptures,  especially  as  we  have 
the  same  Spirit  for  our  teacher,  besides  the  discussions 
and  history  of  many  centuries. 


81 


FOURTH  OBJECTION. 

It  is  objected  against  the  reunion  of  the  church,  that 
sundry  denominations  are  necessary  to  operate  to  advan- 
tage upon  all  classes  of  the  people. 

Some  denominations,  it  is  said,  are  better  adapted 
for  the  rich,  the  polite,  and  the  learned ;  others  for  the 
middling  classes  in  point  of  wealth,  manners,  and  intel- 
ligence ;  others  for  the  poor  and  unlearned  ;  some  for 
the  populous  towns  and  compact  portions  of  the  country ; 
while  others  are  better  calculated  to  carry  the  gospel  into 
the  sparse  settlements  and  the  wilderness. 

While  the  church  was  united  in  the  early  periods  of  its 
history,  the  gospel  was  carried  to  all  classes  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  we  see  not  why  the  same  object  may  not  be 
accomplished  after  sectarian  divisions  shall  cease.  Un- 
der the  present  organization,  polity,  views  and  feelings 
of  some  other  denominations,  we  admit  that  the  whole 
of  the  population  would  scarcely  be  supplied  with  the 
means  of  grace,  to  the  extent  they  now  are ;  and  this 
defect  may  have  operated  as  an  encouragement  to  the 
formation  or  enlargement  of  other  sects.  But  there  is 
nothing  in  the  nature  of  a  united  church  that  would  hin- 
der it  from  embracing  within  its  operations  the  whole 
family  of  human  souls  ;  on  the  contrary,  there  is  much 
in  union  to  facilitate  extension  and  profitable  distribution 
of  labour.  It  requires  a  variety  of  talent,  disposition, 
and  habit  to  answer  all  the  ends  of  Christian  effort,  and 
this  variety  may  be  found  employed  and  directed  by  the 
united  as  well  as  the  divided  church,  and  may  be  made 
to  operate  with  more  efficiency,  and  the  whole  con- 
ducted in  the  spirit  of  love,  instead  of  being  moved  by 
the  spirit  of  party  jealousy  and  strife.     In  the  apos- 


82 


tolic  age,  there  was  a  diversjty  of  talent,  taste,  acquire- 
ment, and  habit,  and  a  diversity  of  spiritual  gifts  be- 
sides. The  apostles,  however,  did  not  deem  it  neces- 
sary or  expedient  to  divide  the  church  into  parties,  so 
as  to  afford  better  scope  for  the  qualifications  of  the  la- 
bourers to  be  employed.  Nor  does  St.  Paul  seem  to 
have  discerned  the  advantage  the  church  might  have 
reaped  from  permitting  the  Corinthians  to  consummate 
their  party  divisions,  by  the  formation  of  several  inde- 
pendent sects,  who  might  then  have  availed  themselves 
of  the  diversified  talents  and  dispositions  of  their  Paul, 
their  Apollos,  and  their  Cephas,  and  the  various  spiri- 
tual gifts  of  the  admirers  and  followers  of  each  leader. 
This  would  commend  itself  to  our  advocates  for  sect,  as 
an  admirable  expedient  for  operating  upon  all  classes  of 
the  community,  to  the  best  possible  advantage.  But 
so  thought  not  Paul ;  for  he  enjoins  them,  in  the  most 
strenuous  manner,  to  heal  their  carnal  divisions,  not  to 
arrange  themselves  under  ditierent  names ;  but  to  re- 
main together  in  one  body,  of  one  name  and  heart ;  so 
that  all  might  act  in  harmony,  like  the  different  members 
of  the  human  body.  This  is  the  wisdom  of  God,  which 
is  often  found  to  be  in  direct  opposition  to  the  wisdom 
and  traditions  of  men. 

FIFTH  OBJECTION. 

The  next  objection  against  the  abolition  of  sects,  is 
the  danger  of  uniting  church  and  stale. 

This  objection,  sometimes  made  by  the  friends  of  re- 
hgion,  has  been  borrowed  from  its  opposers,  who  dread 
the  concentrated  energies  of  a  united  church.  TV  hat 
they  fear  is  not  simply  a  union  of  church  and  state,  but 
their  aversion  to  Christianity  leads  them  to  fear  that  it 


83 


may  attain  such  an  ascendency  as  to  elevate  a  majority 
of  Christian  men  to  office  in  the  civil  government.  This 
event  cannot  certainly  be  deprecated,  but  must  be  de- 
voutly desired  by  all  intelligent  Christians.  It  is  barely 
possible  that  the  sectarian  prejudices  of  some  may  be  so 
strong  as  that  they  would  prefer  to  be  governed  by  men 
destitute  of  religion,  to  the  hazard  incurred  by  the  gene- 
ral prevalence  of  religion,  that  some  of  the  larger  sects 
might  grow  into  a  majority  of  the  electors,  fill  the  offices 
of  state  with  men  of  their  own  denomination,  and  then 
perpetuate  the  ascendency  by  law. 

It  is  the  low  state  of  piety  that  keeps  the  church  divi- 
ded into  parties,  and  it  will  never  be  reunited,  until  the 
pure  religion  of  the  Bible  shall  have  taken  a  stronger 
hold  upon  the  hearts  of  its  professors.  Low  as  religion 
is,  not  a  Christian  of  any  intelligence  can  be  found, 
who  does  not  deprecate  the  union  of  church  and  state, 
as  one  of  the  greatest  calamities  that  can  befall  the 
church,  it  being  clear,  from  history  and  the  relation  of 
cause  and  effect,  that  when  civil  power  is  not  attainable 
without  a  religious  profession,  the  whole  world  of  avarice 
and  ambition  will  crowd  themselves  into  the  church,  and 
destroy  its  spiritual  character.  The  principle  which  will 
bring  Christians  into  one  band  of  union,  is  that  of  love, 
no  other  principle  being  of  sufficient  power  to  melt  down 
the  obstacles,  and  introduce  harmony  into  the  discor- 
dant materials.  The  process  of  effecting  a  reunion  of 
the  church  must  greatly  increase  the  amount  of  personal 
religion  among  her  members.  If,  then,  with  our  present 
degree  of  light,  religious  feeling,  and  regard  for  the 
church,  we  see  and  deprecate  the  union  of  church  and 
state,  how  can  it  be  supposed  that  such  a  union  will  be 
desired  and  attempted,  when  Christians  shall  be  more 


84 


deeply  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  as  they 
must  be,  before  sects  shall  be  abolished. 

We  admit  it  to  be  possible,  that  with  the  prosperity 
of  the  church,  the  spirit  of  the  world  may,  in  process 
of  time,  be  revived ;  professed  Christians  may  then 
seize  the  reins  of  government,  and  by  legal  enactments, 
exclude  others  from  it.  But  this  argument  proves  too 
much ;  because  from  the  same  premises,  it  may,  with 
equal  reason,  be  concluded  that  the  general  prevalence 
of  the  Christian  religion  is  not  desirable,  lest  the  admi- 
nistration of  the  civil  government  should  fall  into  the 
hands  of  Christians,  and  all  other  persons  be  excluded 
by  law.  This  is  surely  a  strange  argument,  when  used 
by  Christians,  however  much  in  character  it  may  be, 
when  proceeding  from  the  enemies  of  religion. 

No;  intolerance  has  no  affinity  with  the  pure  and  spi- 
ritual religion  of  the  Bible.  It  is  the  corrupting  influ- 
ence of  the  spirit  of  sect  and  party  which  has  given 
birth  to  all  the  test  acts  which  have  ever  been  adopted. 
And  should  unfortunately  any  of  the  denopiinations  now 
in  existence,  or  hereafter  to  arise,  becoming  more  con- 
formed to  the  world  than  the  rest,  gain  the  favour  of  the 
irreligious  part  of  the  community,  or  form  an  alliance 
with  some  pohtical  party,  and  thereby  attain  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  civil  government,  they  would  be  under  a 
strong  temptation  to  intrench  themselves  in  power,  and 
trample  upon  the  rights  of  conscience.  Here  lies  the 
danger  of  the  union  of  the  church  and  state,  and  not  in 
the  abolition  of  all  sectarian  distinctions. 

SIXTH  OBJECTION. 

The  last  objection  which  we  shall  notice  against  the 
abolition  of  sects  is,  that  the  reunion  of  the  church,  if 
effected,  will  be  only  temporarrj. 


85 


This  objection  lies  with  equal  force  against  every 
proposal  for  reforming  what  is  amiss,  or  for  suppressing 
what  is  evil.  It  will  do  no  good  to  abolish  lotteries, 
because  men  are  more  disposed  to  obtain  money  by 
gambling  than  by  honest  labour ;  and  therefore  public 
feeling  will  dictate  piibhc  sentiment,  and  soon  effect  the 
restoration  of  the  lottery  system.  Why  should  we  weary 
ourselves  in  the  attempt  to  suppress  the  evil  of  intem- 
perance, and  the  abominations  of  the  theatre,  since  the 
appetites  and  propensities  of  men  will  soon  bring  them 
back  to  former  habits  1  And  why  should  we  disquiet 
ourselves  and  the  Christian  community,  by  attempting 
to  abolish  sects,  -since  the  discordant  opinions,  and  con- 
tentious dispositions  of  Christians  will  soon  split  them 
again  into  parties  ? 

What  answer  would  Paul  or  our  Saviour  give  to  this 
objection?  They  would  point  him  to  the  constitution  of 
the  church  one  and  indivisible.  They  would  show  him 
the  bond  of  union  which  God  has  provided  to  encom- 
pass all  his  children,  and  hold  them  together,  namely, 
the  holy  principle  of  love,  maintained  in  all  its  strength 
and  beauty,  by  the  exercise  of  mutual  forbearance  in 
the  spirit  of  meekness.  They  would  remind  him  of  the 
many  great  and  precious  promises  recorded  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  designed  to  make  the  children  of  God  parta- 
kers of  the  divine  nature,  which  is  love  itself,  and  upon 
which  promises  the  church  of  God  may  confidently  rely, 
when  she  walks  in  the  path  of  duty.  They  would  prove 
to  the  objector  that  this  same  bond  of  love,  if  Christians 
would  only  gird  it  around  them,  would  be  seen  to  pos- 
sess the  same  efficacy  which  it  had  in  the  primitive  ages, 
when  for  two  or  three  centuries,  the  world  was  con- 
8 


86 


strained  to  exclaim,  behold  how  these  Christians  love 
one  another ! 

Admitting,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  the  union 
of  the  church,  though  framed  upon  due  deliberation,  and 
after  years  of  well  directed  prepEiratory  measures,  should 
prove  not  to  be  of  permanent  duration,  is  it  not  worth 
some  pains  to  procure  a  temporary  respite  from  the 
contentions,  strife,  and  multiplied  evils  of  sect  t  Is  not 
a  short  peace  among  nations  at  war,  deemed  among  all 
the  wise  worth  the  trouble  of  a  negotiation  for  the  resto- 
ration of  peace  ? 

If  by  a  hasty  movement  upon  some  sudden  impulse, 
the  various  denominations  should  become  amalgamated, 
we  readily  concede  that  it  would  be  Utopian  to  expect  a 
long  continuance  of  such  a  union ;  as  much  so,  as  it 
would  be  to  calculate  upon  a  cessation  from  war  in  the 
earth,  in  case  a  congress  of  nations  should  suddenly 
agree  forever  to  sheathe  the  sword,  without  any  prepa- 
ratory measures  having  been  taken  to  impress  upon  the 
minds  of  rulers  and  people  a  due  appreciation  of  the 
sinfulness  and  evils  of  war,  and  the  value  of  peace. 
To  bring  about  the  union  of  the  ".hurch  upon  a  solid  and 
permanent  basis,  requires  much  of  patient  preparatory 
labour.  Our  views  of  what  is  necessary  and  expedient 
to  accomplish  this  all-important  object,  will  be  given  in 
a  subsequent  chapter. 


87 


CHAPTER  IV. 


OBSTACLES   TO   THE   REUNION   OF  THE 
C  H  U  K  C  H  . 


1.  Tho  power  of  long  cherished  habits  and  opinions.  —  2.  The 
powerful  interests  which  bind  men  to  sect.  —  3.  The  subjection 
the  periodical  press  to  the  interests  of  sect. — 4.  The  fear  of  odium 
and  contempt.' —  5.  The  many  objects  of  attention  already  before 
the  public.  —  6.  The  present  low  state  of  religion.  —  7.  Human 
creeds,  confessions  of  faith,  and  systems  of  theology. 

Our  aim,  thus  far,  has  been  to  impress  upon  the  rea- 
ider  our  own  convictions  of  the  unconstitutional  and  evil 
nature  of  sectarian  divisions.  Admitting  that  we  have 
succeeded  in  satisfying  his  judgement  of  the  correctness 
of  our  own  convictions,  he  may  yet  see  such  obstacles, 
difficulties,  and  discouragements,  in  the  way  of  reuni- 
ting the  church,  as  to  deter  or  discourage  him  from  em- 
barking in  the  enterprise  of  collecting  the  scattered  frag- 
ments, and  restoring  her  original  unity.  We  propose, 
in  this  chapter,  to  take  a  view  of  these  obstacles,  and  to 
show  that  they  are  by  no' means  insurmountable.  They 
may  be  removed,  we  apprehend,  with  the  exercise  of  a 


88 


moderate  share  of  Christian  fortitude,  zeal,  and  perse- 
verance. 

I.  The  poiver  of  long  cherished  habits  and  opinions, 
is  the  first  obstacle  which  we  shall  notice. 

It  is  true  that  Christians  of  the  present,  and  several 
of  the  preceding  generations,  have  breathed  the  very  at- 
mosphere of  sect  and  party.  The  religious  education  of 
children,  where  it  has  not  been  of  an  infidel  cast,  or 
wholly  neglected,  has  been  of  a  sectarian  character. 
From  childhood  to  mature  age,  the  same  training  has 
been  continued  ;  for  our  books,  our  schools  of  religious 
instruction,  our  preaching,  the  organization  of  our  chur- 
ches, have  been  sectarian.  And  it  may  be  supposed 
that  the  Christian  community  are  in  conseqence  as  firm- 
ly settled  in  their  opinion  of  the  lawfulness  of  sect,  as 
the  Hindoo  is  in  the  propriety  of  caste,  or  the  Mahome- 
tan in  the  truth  of  the  alkoran.  We  may  be  told,  more- 
over, that  this  opinion  has  been  fortified  by  the  secta- 
rian habits  which  they  have  produced  or  cherished  ;  in- 
somuch that  the  professors  of  the  gospel  of  peace  and 
love,  are  so  much  accustomed  to  the  exercise  of  jea- 
lousy and  alienation  of  heart  towards  Christians  of  other 
sects,  that  the  thought  of  uniting  with  them  is  w  holly 
inadmissible. 

Formidable  as  this  obstacle  is,  we  cannot  admit  it  to 
be  insuperable.  It  cannot  be  so  difficult  to  convince 
the  Christian  whose  mind  is  enlightened  with  a  knowl- 
ledge  of  the  principles  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that  he 
may  have  overlooked  or  misapplied  those  principles,  as 
it  is  to  convince  the  Hindoo  of  the  absurdity  of  caste, 
or  the  Mahometan  of  the  falsity  of  the  koran.  To 
break  down  the  prejudices  of  these,  we  have  no  argu- 


89 


ments  to  adduce  but  such  as  are  addressed  to  their  un- 
derstandings, which  have  become  wholly  obscured  by  the 
false  principles  of  their  faith ;  but  with  the  Christian, 
we  meet  on  common  ground,  for  we  both  acknowledge 
the  Bible  as  the  only  rule  of  our  faith  and  practice.  And  if 
from  the  Bible  it  can  be  satisfactorily  proved  that  sects 
are  unlawful,  unconstitutional,  and  a  Pandora's  box  of 
evils  to  the  church,  what  right  have  we  to  assume  that 
the  lovers  of  truth  will  not  be  willing  to  hear  the  voice 
of  truth  speaking  in  the  oracles  of  God,  and  obey  its 
dictates  ?  The  reformation  from  popery,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  is  a  standing  proof  of  the  power  of  scrip- 
tural truth  to  change  the  most  inveterate  and  long  che- 
rished opinions  ;  and  the  progress  of  temperance  in  our 
own  times,  is  a  convincing  proof  of  the  power  of  an  en- 
lightened conscience  to  change  the  most  fixed  habits, 
and  even  to  conquer  the  strength  of  long  indulged  appe- 
tite. 

The  word  of  God  is  represented  to  be,  and  truly  is, 
as  the  fire  and  hammer  that  breaks  in  pieces  the  hearts 
of  the  enemies  of  God,  hard  by  nature,  and  more  har- 
dened by  the  continued  practice  of  sin  ;  and  why  then 
should  we  fear  that  the  same  word  will  fall  powerless 
upon  the  hearts  of  the  friends  of  God,  which  have  been 
softened  by  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  may 
not  judge  so_  uncharitably  of  our  Christian  brethren, 
concerning  whom  we  are  in  duty  bound  to  think  no  evil, 
but  to  believe  all  things,  and  to  hope  all  things.  1  Cor. 
xiii.  5,  7. 

The  sentiment  that  the  antiquity  of  opinions  and  cus- 
toms proves  them  to  be  correct,  is  much  impaired  in  the 
minds  of  the  Christian  public  ;  and  as  it  is  believed  that 
the  men  of  the  present  generation  are  capable  of  under- 
8* 


90 


standing  the  reasons  adduced  by  their  predecessors,  for 
the  opinions  they  have  formed,  it  is  no  longer  received 
as  proof  of  an  innovating  spirit,  to  examine  into  the 
soundness  of  human  opinions,  practices,  customs,  and 
habits,  how  long  soever  they  may  have  prevailed,  and 
been  assumed  to  be  correct.  The  spirit  of  inquiry  is 
awake,  and  has  been  quickened  by  the  discoveries  which 
have  been  made  since  the  principle  of  implicit  deference 
to  by-gone  ages  has  been  on  the  decline.  As  it  is  now 
acknowledged  that  the  church  for  two  hundred  years  has 
slept  upon  the  duty  of  carrying  the  gospel  to  a  dying 
world,  and  has  cherished  in  her  bosom  the  dreadful  evil 
of  lotteries,'  intemperance,  and  slavery,  the  public  mind 
is  in  some  measure  prepared  to  search  what  other  evils 
may  have  crept  into  the  church,  during  the  long  period 
of  spiritual  death  and  inactivity,  wherein  the  powers  of 
darkness  have  had  ample  scope  for  the  exercise  of  their 
craft  and  malice.  The  maxim  of  the  Bible  "  to  the  law 
and  to  the  testimony,"  is  again  coming  into  vogue,  as 
in  the  days  of  the  reformation.  Why  then  should  we 
despair  of  the  willingness  of  Christians  to  judge  of  the 
divisions  which  have  torn  the  church  in  pieces,  by  the 
infallible  standard  of  right  and  wrong  ? 

II.  Another  obstacle  that  may  be  supposed  to  lie  in 
the  way  of  effecting  a  reunion  of  the  church  of  Christ,  is 
presented  in  the  powerful  inlcrests  which  bind  men  to 
the  car  of  sect. 

But  who  are  the  persons  so  strongly  interested  to  sup- 
port sectarian  divisions?  The  lay  members  of  the 
church  and  the  people  at  large  would  clearly  be  gainers 
by  the  reunion  of  the  church,  as  they  will  save  tlie  enor- 
mous waste  of  men  and  money  which  we  have  pointed 


91 


out  as  one  of  the  evils  of  division.  The  cost  of  main- 
taining the  ministers  of  the  gospel,  theological  schools, 
religious  publications,  and  the  erection  and  maintenance 
of  houses  for  public  worship,  would  probably  be  dimi- 
nished one  half  by  the  abolition  of  sects.  It  would  be 
principally  the  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  perhaps  only 
a  few  of  them,  whose  employments  would  be  deranged 
by  the  change  ;  and  the  derangement  would  be  tempo- 
rary only,  as  the  united  church  will  need  all  the  efficient 
clergy  which  the  present  age  can  furnish.  The  officers 
of  our  theological  schools  would  not  necessarily  be  sub- 
jected to  any  change  of  employment,  unless  such 
schools,  as  are  not  in  fact  needed,  should  be  discon- 
tinued. 

But  whatever  sacrifices  might  be  required  of  those 
officers,  ministers  of  the  gospel,  or  the  higher  dignita- 
ries of  the  church,  in  order  to  remove  so  vast  an  evil  as 
that  of  division,  we  may  not  indulge  the  doubt  that  they 
will  be  made  with  all  the  cheerfulness  which  Christian 
benevolence  does  not  fail  to  inspire.  Men  who  have 
devoted  themselves  to  the  service  of  Christ,  may  be 
made  to  understand  what  the  interests  of  his  church  re- 
quire, and  may  be  induced  to  act  in  accordance  with 
their  convictions.  They  may  be  induced  to  practice  the 
self-denial  so  frequently  and  strenuously  inculcated  by  the 
Saviour  and  his  apostles,  and  which  they  so  eminently 
exemplified  in  their  own  practice,  even  to  the  forsaking 
of  kindred,  houses,  lands,  places  of  profit,  and  to  the 
loss  of  hfe  itself,  if  necessary  to  render  obedience  to  the 
commands  of  Christ,  and  to  advance  the  interests  of  his 
kingdom.  St.  Paul  expresses  his  persuasion  in  the 
strongest  terms  that  nothing  can  separate  the  true  be- 
liever irom  tlie  love  of  Christ.    And  there  are  not  lack- 


92 


ing  striking  examples  in  our  own  times,  of  men  posses- 
sing noble  minds  and  commanding  talents,  who  have 
abandoned  comfortable  homes,  lucrative  and  honourable 
employments,  the  enjoyments  of  civilized  life  £md  coun- 
try, and  a  healthful  chmate,  to  carry  the  gospel  of  sal- 
vation to  the  destitute,  and  to  serve  their  divine  Master 
in  the  stations  allotted  to  them  in  his  providence.  Many 
laymen  in  this  country  have,  in  obedience  to  the  dictates 
of  an  enlightened  conscience,  and  the  requirements  of 
the  public  good,  relinquished  the  lucrative  employments 
of  making  and  vending  the  products  of  the  still.  And 
can  it  be  believed  that  the  clergy,  who  are  expected  to 
take  the  lead  in  the  direction  of  correct  public  sentiment, 
and  to  be  ensamples  in  all  things  to  the  people,  will  be 
less  disposed  to  yield  to  the  circumstances  that  may  be 
imposed  on  them,  in  consequence  of  so  desirable  a 
change  in  the  concerns  of  the  church,  as  the  restoration 
of  its  original  unity  ? 

Perhaps  we  ought  to  admit  that  one  of  the  most 
powerful  interests  which  bind  men  to  the  support  of 
sects,  arises  from  the  ambition  of  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel. There  are,  in  this  higly  honourable  and  useful 
order  of  men,  some  who  love  distinctions  and  influence ; 
and  there  may  be  those  whose  consequence,  in  their 
own  view,  consists  mainly  in  being  one  of  the  leaders 
of  a  party,  and  whose  standing  would  inevitably  be 
lowered  by  the  amalgamation  of  sects.  They  could  not 
be  great  men  in  a  large  community,  though  they  may 
hold  a  station  of  considerable  consequence  in  a  smaller 
one.  It  may  be  that  this  might  influence  some  to  op- 
pose the  reunion  of  the  church.  Were  there  many  of 
this  stamp,  we  confess  it  would  present  a  most  formida- 
ble obstacle.    But  we  hope  their  number  is  small,  and 


93 


that  the  opposition  would  prove  feeble.  Their  characters 
are  probably  more  correctly  estimated  than  they  them- 
selves are  aware,  and  their  adherence  to  the  interests 
of  sect,  would  be  attributed  to  the  right  cause. 

Why  then  should  it  be  supposed  that  the  interests  of 
Christians  will  oppose  an  insurmountable  obstacle  in  so 
holy  an  enterprise  as  that  of  healing  the  dreadful  wounds 
inflicted  on  the  church  by  its  divisions  1  Or  shall  we  be 
compelled  to  add  this  to  the  list  of  the  evils  of  division, 
that  it  has  banished  the  virtue  of  self-denial  from  the 
church  ? 

III.  The  subjection  of  the  periodical  press  to  the  in- 
terests' of  sect,  is  another  obstacle  that  may  be  urged  to 
the  proposed  reformation. 

And  by  some  of  the  friends  of  union,  it  may  be  feared 
that  the  religious  newspapers  and  periodicals  of  the  day 
are  too  much  under  the  influence  of  sectarian  opinions, 
feelings,  or  patronage,  to  admit  of  their  becoming  the 
channel  of  bringing  before  the  public  doctrines  subver- 
sive of  their  own  views,  or  those  of  their  patrons  ;  and 
it  may  be  apprehended  that  there  is  no  other  adequate 
medium  of  enlightening  public  opinion. 

AVe  are  very  reluctant  to  believe  that  there  is  any 
considerable  number  of  our  religious  publications,  into 
which  it  would  be  refused  to  admit  discussions  of  such 
grave  and  important  subjects,  as  the  unity  of  the  church, 
and  the  duties  devolving  upon  Christians,  in  consequence 
of  existing  divisions.  The  spirit  of  bigotry  has  too 
much  declined,  and  that  of  free  inquiry  has  too  far  ad- 
vanced to  allow  the  indulgence  of  such  apprehensions. 
We  think  it  is  evident  from  the  complexion  of  the  publi- 
cations in  question,  that  there  will  be  no  disposition  to 


.94 


withhold  from  the  public  the  opportunity  of  reading  dis- 
cussions of  doctrines  not  stale,  nor  manifestly  erroneous 
or  dangerous ;  or  of  opinions  not  decidedly  singular ; 
especially  when  deduced  from  the  Scriptures ;  the  ac- 
knowledged standard  of  religious  truth.  If  the  danger  of 
losing  patronage  should  be  supposed  to  enter  at  all  into 
their  calculation,  they  may  see  the  prospect  of  gaining 
more  by  the  facility  thus  afforded  to  the  friends  of  union, 
than  they  would  lose  by  displeasing  the  apologists  for 
sectarian  divisions.  The  advocates  for  the  unity  of  the 
church  entertain  no  fears  from  the  reflection  that  their 
opponents  would  justly  claim  and  be  entitled  to  an  equal 
right  to  be  heard  ;  for  they  are  perfectly  willing,  if  their 
views  are  not  capable  of  enduring  the  ordeal  of  strict 
scriptural  examination  and  sound  argument,  to  submit 
to  the  decision  of  an  intelligent  Christian  community. 

Should,  however,  the  periodical  press,  contrary  to  our 
hopes,  exclude  all  discussions  on  the  subject  in  ques- 
tion, there  is  another  resort.  It  is  the  glory  of  the 
American  people  that  the  press  itself,  in  this  country,  is 
free  as  the  light  of  heaven,  and  in  one  form  or  another,  is 
accessible  to  all ;  and  whatever  means  may  become 
necessary  in  order  to  bring  the  question  of  the  unity  of 
the  church  faiily  before  the  Christians  of  .America,  it  is 
confidently  believed  that  the  friends  of  union  will  be 
found  willing  to  furnish  them. 

IV.     The  fear  of  odium  and  contempt. 

So  deeply  fixed  and  rooted,  it  may  be  imagined  by 
some,  is  the  opinion  of  the  lawfulness  and  advantages 
of  divisions,  that  the  advocates  and  friends  of  reunion 
will  be  treated  with  derision,  scorn,  or  hatred,  as  vision- 
ary theorists,  or  dangerous  innovators,  and  perhaps  be 


95 


regarded  as  attempting  to  add  another  name  to  the  long 
list  of  religious  denominations  already  distracting  the 
church  ;  or  be  viewed  in  the  same  light  with  the  petty 
sects  of  Christians,  Mormonites,  and  others,  which 
profess  not  to  belong  to  any  of  the  pre-existing  denomi- 
nations, and  to  have  no  other  creed  but  the  Bible. 

The  subtle  enemy  of  G  od  knows  well,  that  so  long  as 
he  can  succeed  in  fomenting  divisions  in  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  his  own  dominion  in  the  earth  is  secure  ;  but  he 
hears  of  the  reunion  of  the  protestant  church  as  the 
knell  of  his  departed  power,  for  then  shall  the  seed  of 
the  woman  be  endued  with  strength  to  crush  the  ser- 
pent's head.  The  cunning  adversary  has  therefore,  like 
a  master  spirit,  contrived  to  magnify  and  multiply  the 
obstacles  to  the  reunion  of  his  broken  enemy  ;  and  per- 
haps one  of  his  most  artful  devices  has  been  to  thrust 
forward  his  own  instruments  to  take  in  part  the  same 
ground  which  he  knew  his  enemy  must  occupy  to  deliver 
the  church  from  the  curse  of  division.  He  has  accord- 
ingly excited  fanatics,  infidels,  and  men  who  hate  the 
holy  truths  of  the  Bible,  to  arrogate  to  themselves  the 
honour  of  being  its  most  devoted  friends,  pretending  to 
receive  the  Scriptures  as  the  only  standard  of  their  faith. 
He  has  instigated  these  enemies  of  the  church  to  assume 
the  form  of  religious  societies,  professing  to  receive  into 
their  communion  all  Christians  upon  the  broad  ground  of 
the  Scriptures.  That  these  are  wolves  in  sheep's  cloth- 
ing has  been  so  manifest  from  their  unchristian  conduct 
and  palpable  errors,  that  they  have  succeeded  to  decoy 
only  a  few  of  the  ignorant  and  unwary  ,and  they  have 
become  the  subjects  of  odium,and  contempt.  And  now 
it  may  be  feared  that  the  true  friends  of  religion  will  be 
regarded  with  like  feelings,  when  they  propose  to  reunite 


96 


the  church  upon  the  broad  ground  of  the  constitution 
ordained  by  its  head. 

We  have  stated  this  obstacle  thus  fully  in  order  to  ex- 
hibit it  in  its  true  aspect,  and  thereby  show  that  there  is 
nothing  formidable  in  it.  All  designing  errorists,  it  is 
well  known,  mingle  something  of  truth  with  their  false- 
hoods ;  otherwise  they  would  secure  no  adherents ;  and 
if  the  sectarians  to  which  we  have  just  alluded  have 
adopted  any  one  principle  which  is  true,  that  principle  is 
no  less  true  for  having  been  avowed  by  them,  although 
they  are  the  enemies  of  the  church.  Satan  himself 
uttered  some  scriptural  truths  when  he  tempted  the 
Saviour  in  the  wilderness,  and  no  Christian  can  justly 
be  hated  or  despised  for  using  the  same  for  a  lawful  pur- 
pose. If  it  be  a  true  doctrine  of  the  Bible  that  God  con- 
stituted the  church  one,  and  that  its  divisions  into  sects 
is  unlawful  and  pregnant  with  evils  without  any  counter- 
vailing advantages,  then  it  is  right  and  honourable  to  ad- 
vocate and  promote  by  proper  means  a  return  to  its  ori- 
ginal unity ;  and  if  they  find  it  necessary  or  profitable  to 
assume  principles,  which  have  been  perverted  by  fanatics 
and  ungodly  men,  but  which  are  nevertheless  true,  it 
seems  to  require  only  a  small  share  of  Christian  fortitude 
to  bear  all  the  scorn  and  reproach  to  which  they  may  in 
consequence  be  subjected. 

V.  The  many  objects  of  attention  already  before  the 
public. 

Those  who  view  this  as  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the 
friends  of  union,  must  suppose  that  there  are  already  so 
many  schemes  of  benevolence  engaging  the  time  and 
care  of  the  Christian  community,  that  the  plan  for  re- 


9Y 

uniting  the  church  cannot  be  hoped  to  receive  the  atten- 
tion and  support  necessary  to  its  accomplishment. 

We  believe  this  to  be  a  mistake.  Wonders  have  been 
accomplished  by  a  division  of  mental  and  bodily  labour. 
And  so  in  all  the  operations  of  religious  charity,  much 
can  be  done  by  the  occupancy  of  his  proper  place  by 
each,  according  to  his  capacity  and  inclination.  The 
American  Bible  Society  found  agents  and  patrons  to 
sustain  it,  notwithstanding  the  number  already  embarked 
in  the  cause  of  foreign  missions  ;  and  when  home  mis- 
sions were  subsequently  undertaken,  Christians  were 
found  prepared  to  attend  to  the  concerns  of  that  enter- 
prise. The  Tract  Society  caused  no  diminution  of  at- 
tention or  effort  to  any  of  the  preceding.  The  Sunday 
School  Union,  the  Education,  Seamens'  Friend,  Prison 
Discipline,  and  Temperance  Societies,  as  their  succes- 
sive claims  have  been  presented  to  the  public,  have  com- 
manded as  much  of  attention  and  interest,  and  the  means 
of  commencing  and  sustaining  them  have  been  as  rea- 
dily supplied  as  if  they  had  respectively  been  the  only 
benevolent  enterprise  on  foot  in  the  country.  The 
Temperance  Society,  though  last  on  the  list,  has  been 
more  vigorously  sustained  than  any  of  its  predecessors. 

All  these  associations  are  now  in  progress,  but  are 
not  combining  the  power  they  ought  and  which  they 
would  combine,  if  the  whole  body  of  Christians  were 
held  together  in  one  bond  of  union.  This  would  give 
them  tenfold  more  of  strength  and  efficiency.  Admit- 
ting that  to  bring  about  this  union,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
secure  an  additional  amount  of  attention  and  labour  ;  it 
must  also  be  conceded  that  as  yet,  but  a  small  propor- 
tion of  the  whole  number  of  true  believers  is  actively 
employed  in  any  Christian  enterprise,  and  that  it  is  very 
9 


98 


desirable  that  all  who  are  competent  should  find  some- 
thing to  do  in  the  service  of  their  Master.  The  evils  of 
division  are  palpable  to  the  understandings  of  all  classes 
of  Christians,  and  all  are  capable  of  bearing  some  part 
in  restoring  the  prevalence  of  love,  forbearance,  and 
luiity  in  the  church.  ^Vhy  then  should  we  indulge  the 
fear  that  this  holy  and  all-important  enterprise  will  fail 
of  commanding  the  support  necessary  to  its  accomplish- 
ment ?  Let  it  be  commenced,  and  it  will  not  only  be 
sustained,  but  give  tone  and  vigour  to  every  other  scheme 
of  benevolence. 

VI.     The  low  stale  of  religion. 

Many  who  entertain  the  belief  of  the  ultimate  reunion 
of  the  church,  do  not  view  it  practicable  at  the  present 
time,  or  at  any  except  a  remote  period,  and  are  conse- 
quently discouraged  from  any  effort  towards  accomplish- 
ing it,  while  the  standard  of  religion  is  so  low ;  and  are 
induced  to  postpone  even  the  consideration  of  the  sub- 
ject until  a  more  favourable  era  shall  have  dawned  upon 
the  church. 

It  is  indeed  of  vital  importance  that  the  standard  of 
religion  should  be  elevated  to  a  much  higher  point  than 
it  is  at  the  present  day  ;  and  we  agree  that  until  it  shall 
be  so  elevated,  little  will  be  done  to  advance  the  great 
interests  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  in  any  form.  But 
how  is  a  better  state  of  things  to  be  brought  about  ?  We 
answer,  the  church  must  be  furified  by  action  and  trial; 
and  we  are  happy  in  the  belief  that  the  process  has  com- 
menced. Those  benevolent  enterprises  which  require 
contributions  of  money,  such  as  the  cause  of  missions, 
the  spread  of  the  Bible,  and  the  like,  are  trying  Chris- 
tians on  their  love  of  mammon,  when  the  love  of  Christ 


99 


requires  them  to  surrender  it.  The  temperance  refor- 
mation tries  them  on  their  attachment  to  appetite,  habit, 
and  fashion  ;  while  those  plans  which  call  on  Christians 
for  their  personal  attention,  thought,  and  active  exertions, 
such  as  the  distribution  of  tracts  and  teaching  in  Sunday 
Schools,  are  trying  their  love  of  ease.  We  cannot  con- 
ceive of  any  means  better  adapted  to  forward  the  salu- 
tary process  of  trial  and  action,  than  the  scheme  of  heal- 
ing the  divisions  of  the  church.  It  will  act  like  the  re- 
finer's fire  and  the  fuller's  soap.  It  will  test  the  love  of 
Christians  for  the  universal  church  of  Christ  on  earth, 
and  their  regard  for  the  authority  of  God  in  constituting 
the  church  one  and  indivisible.  It  will  distinguish  be- 
tween the  love  of  party  and  the  love  of  the  brethren  ;  be- 
tween the  love  of  sectarian  emoluments  and  dignities, 
and  their  love  of  the  service  of  Christ.  It  will  discover 
to  men  the  strength  of  their  attachment  to  their  own  tem- 
poral interest,  and  to  their  own  peculiarities,  and  to  the 
traditions  of  men  when  brought  in  competition  with  the 
commands  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  requirements  of  God's 
own  word. 

In  what  manner  Christians  generally  will  be  brought 
into  active  efforts  to  advance  Christ's  kingdom,  by  pro- 
secuting the  scheme  for  reuniting  the  church,  will  be 
shown  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  where  we  shall  point  out 
the  means  to  be  pursued  for  its  attainment. 

While,  therefore,  we  admit  that  the  low  state  of  reli- 
gion forbids  the  hope  of  an  immediate  abolition  of  sects, 
it  furnishes  no  reason  why  the  work  needful  to  accom- 
plish the  object  should  not  be  commenced.  This  ap- 
pears to  us  to  be  the  point  to  which  Christian  effort 
should  now  be  directed,  and  we  perceive  Httle  ground  of 


100 


hope  that  the  steindard  of  religion  will  be  elevated  by  an/ 
other  means. 

VII.  Creeds,  Confessions  of  Faith,  and  Systems  of 
Tlieology. 

Though  this  obstacle  is  of  a  character  somewhat  simi- 
lar to  that  with  which  we  commenced  this  chapter,  it  is 
believed  to  be  so  far  distinguished  from  it  as  to  require  a 
separate  consideration.  It  may  be  feared  that  this  will 
prove  the  most  formidable  of  all  the  obstacles  to  the  re- 
union of  the  church,  as  these  creeds  constitute  the  very 
walls  of  partition  that  divide  the  church.  The  creeds, 
and  in  some  instances  the  confessions  of  faith,  are  for- 
mally proposed  to  applicants  for  church  membership,  and 
their  assent  thereto  required  as  an  indispensable  term  of 
their  reception.  Books  containing  systems  of  theology, 
Bibles  with  commentaries  in  support  of  those  systems, 
creeds,  and  confessions  of  faith,  are  scattered  in  each 
sect,  more  or  less  throughout  the  families  of  which  they 
are  composed ;  and  the  children  drink  in  with  their 
mother's  milk  a  veneration  and  attachment  to  the  creed 
of  their  parents.  How  then,  it  is  asked,  can  there  be 
any  hope  of  removing  this  obstacle  ? 

We  admit  that  here  is  presented  a  serious  difficulty, 
which  it  may  require  time  and  patience  to  remove ;  but 
that  it  is  insuperable  we  are  not  willing  to  believe.  In- 
dependently of  the  consideration  that  God  loves  the 
truth,  and  has  power  over  the  human  heeu-t  to  impress 
the  truth  upon  it,  our  hope  is  that  the  effort  is  to  be  made 
upon  Christians,  who  admit  the  Bible  to  be  from  God, 
and  acknowledge  it  their  duty  to  render  obedience  to  all 
it3  requirements ;  that  we  shall  be  addressing  ourselves 


101 


to  ministers  of  the  gospel  and  others,  who  are  capable 
of  understanding  and  appreciating  the  claims  of  the  in- 
spired writings,  as  infinitely  superior  to  any  human  pro- 
duction, how  wise  soever  may  have  been  the  author,  or 
however  wise  or  numerous  may  have  been  its  advocates 
and  adherents.  However  venerable  any  human  writings 
may  be,  even  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  have  long  been  in 
the  habit  of  referring  to  them  as  standards,  they  are  still 
but  the  work  of  men,  fallible  men,  and  cannot  stand  in 
opposition  to  the  word  of  God,  which  is  the  only  standard 
of  religious  faith  and  practice.  If  the  church  was  con- 
stituted by  its  head  one  and  indivisible,  and  if  the  exist- 
ing divisions  are  in  violation  of  its  constitutional  unity  ; 
if  these  points  are  incontrovertibly  proved,  then,  as  soon 
as  it  shall  be  perceived  that  creeds  or  any  other  work  of 
man  stands  as  a  barrier  against  the  reunion  of  the  church, 
charity  forbids  us  to  assume  that  Christians  will  be  too 
stubborn  to  consent  to  the  removal  of  the  obstacle. 

Every  creed  is  under  the  control  of  the  denomination 
which  has  adopted  it,  and  may  be  modified  or  surrender- 
ed at  its  will.  So  may  every  thing  except  the  Bible. 
This  alone  is  sacred,  being  the  word  and  work  of  God 
himself  If  this  be  lost  all  is  lost ;  if  this  be  preserved 
all  is  safe ;  whatever  else  is  changed  or  abandoned. 
The  true  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  the  church  being  con- 
sidered and  examined,  will  be  found  to  be  at  variance 
with  the  lawfulness  of  any  creed,  not  embracing  all  who 
love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  To  convince 
the  generality  of  intelligent  Christians  of  this  truth,  is  an 
attainable  object,  and  well  worth  a  few  years  of  thought 
and  eflfort.  And  it  may  be  found  amidst  the  changes 
which  are  now  going  on  with  such  rapidity  in  the  world, 
that  sooner  than  we  now  dare  to  hope,  creeds  may  be  so 
9* 


102 


modified  as  to  exclude  only  the  fundamental  errorist. 
Then,  to  keep  out  the  irreligious  man,  who  may  profess 
a  sound  faith  but  deny  the  same  in  his  practice,  must  be 
entrusted,  as  it  must  be  under  every  form  of  administer- 
ing the  church,  to  a  faithful  ministry,  and  a  watchful  dis- 
cipline, upon  the  principles  of  the  Bible. 


103 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE    FACILITIES    OR  ENCOURAGEMENTS 
TO  REUNION. 


The  staleness  of  religious  controversy.  —  Experience  for  200 
years  of  the  evils  of  division.  —  The  union  of  several  denomina- 
tions actually  formed  of  late  for  various  benevolent  purposes.  — 
The  harmonious  faith  of  Christians  on  essential  doctrines,  evi- 
denced by  the  publications  of  the  American  Tract  Society.  —  The 
alarm  manifested  by  the  advocates  of  sect. —  The  alarm  manifest- 
ed by  the  enemies  of  reUgion.  —  Late  pubUcations,  Sic.  evidencing 
that  the  principle  of  union  is  at  work  in  the  hearts  of  Christians. — 
The  diffusion  of  useful  knowledge.  —  Prophecy. 

Having  considered  the  obstacles  standing  or  suppos- 
ed to  stand  in  the  way  of  the  reunion  of  the  church,  and 
having  shown  that  none  of  them  are  insuperable,  let  us 
next  inquire  whether  there  be  not  at  the  present  time 
favourable  circumstemces  and  indications,  which  ought 
to  be  regarded  as  encouraging  to  the  friends  of  union, 
and  facilitating  the  accomplishment  of  the  work  before 
them. 


104 


1.  As  the  spirit  of  controversy  is  one  of  the  great 
causes  of  division,  it  is  certainly  encouraging  to  observe, 
that  religious  controversy  has  become  so  stale,  as  not  to 
command  the  universal  attention  and  excite  the  intense 
interest  which  it  has  in  time  past.  Although  there  is 
not,  perhaps  in  the  generality  of  Christians,  any  decrease 
of  attachment  to  the  peculiarities  of  their  own  sect,  that 
attachment  can  no  longer  be  secured  by  the  interest  felt 
in  religious  controversy.  The  truth  is,  the  topics  of  dis- 
cussion are  exhausted.  All  the  points  of  difficulty  pre- 
sented in  the  Bible  have  already  been  again  and  again 
examined  and  argued  out,  so  that  it  seems  almost  im- 
practicable to  present  any  new  subjects  of  dispute,  and 
novelty  is  indispensable  to  command  sufficient  interest 
even  to  insure  the  reading  of  what  may  be  written.  Be- 
sides, a  considerable  proportion  of  intelligent  Christians 
find  so  much  of  active  labour  to  perform,  that  they  have 
neither  time  nor  inclination  to  read  on  subjects  of  con- 
troversy. For  these  reasons  it  is  that  the  discussions 
on  theological  subtleties  and  practical  differences,  which 
fill  some  of  the  columns  of  our  religious  periodicals,  are 
uniformly  passed  over  by  perhaps  more  than  half  of  their 
readers.  Neither  the  dispute  between  the  old  school 
and  the  new  school,  however  zealously  conducted  ;  nor 
the  apparently  new  aspect  which  that  controversy  may 
have  assumed  in  the  subtle  discussions  between  Taylor 
and  his  antagonists,  nor  the  still  more  recent  "  Act  and 
Testimony"  of  the  dissenters  from  the  Presbyterian 
church,  suffice  to  awaken  a  general  interest  in  the 
Christian  community.  The  battle  is  interesting  to  few 
except  the  combatants ;  while  the  many  turn  away  in 
disgust  or  grief  from  the  spectacle.  And  the  more  the 
form  of  these  profitless  janglings  shall  be  multiplied,  the 


105 


sooner  will  the  body  of  Christians  spue  the  unhallowed 
effusions  of  party  zeal  out  of  their  mouths. 

There  seems  to  be  a  growing  aversion  to  speculative 
theology,  from  a  belief  of  its  unprofitableness  ;  the  learn- 
ing of  the  schoolmen  is  passing  into  oblivion  or  dis- 
esteem ;  and  the  intense  anxiety  which  formerly  pre- 
vailed to  know  what  men  ought  to  believe,  is  moderated 
by  the  desire  of  knowing  also  what  they  ought  to  do  in 
order  to  please  God.  The  whole  of  religion  is  assum- 
ing a  more  practical  form,  and  it  is  no  longer  believed  to 
be  enveloped  in  all  the  mystery  which  the  learning  and 
zeal  of  the  disputatious  have  thrown  around  it. 

2,  We  have  all  the  advantages  which  the  history  of 
the  church  is  capable  of  affording  to  show  the  useless- 
ness  of  sects,  and  their  evil  effects  and  tendencies.  The 
experience  of  two  hundred  years  is  thus  brought  before 
us,  and  proves  satisfactorily,  how  futile  is  the  attempt  to 
make  a  purer  church  by  narrowing  the  terms  of  commu- 
nion and  membership,  and  thus  compelling  the  believer 
to  make  a  choice  between  opposing  denominations,  or 
to  hve  without  any  visible  communion  with  his  fellow 
heirs  of  salvation.  The  history  of  two  centuries  has 
also  furnished  us  with  an  ample  view  of  the  manifold 
and  grievous  evils  which  have  resulted  from  the  violation 
of  the  constitutional  unity  of  the  church. 

3.  We  have  not  only  the  evidence  that  a  portion,  and 
a  considerable  and  very  respectable  portion  of  the  Chris- 
tian community,  have  begun  to  see  the  necessity  of  a 
union  between  Christians  of  different  denominations,  but 
we  have  the  strong  and  encouraging  fact  that  an  actual 
union  has  been  formed  for  several  important  and  valua- 
ble purposes,  in  the  formation  of  the  Boards  of  Foreign 


106 


and  Domestic  Missions,  as  well  as  the  Education  and 
Tract  Societies,  and  the  Sunday  School  Union. 

4.  We  have  evidence  of  a  most  pleasing  and  satis- 
factory nature  of  the  harmonious  faith  of  £dl  evangelical 
Christians  in  every  doctrine  and  practice  that  is  of  es- 
sential importance,  in  the  nine  volumes  of  tracts  pub- 
lished to  the  world  by  the  American  Tract  Society,  con- 
taining a  body  of  doctrinal  and  practical  divinity  of  more 
value  than  all  the  human  creeds,  confessions  of  faith,  and 
systems  of  theology  which  form  the  standards  of  any 
church  on  earth.  The  great  and  many  truths  embraced 
in  these  volumes,  most  clearly  show  how  much  of  Christ 
and  his  salvation,  and  the  duty  of  man  to  God  and  his 
fellow  men,  may  be  taught  and  preached  without  con- 
flicting with  the  sectarian  opinions  of  any  denomination. 
The  existence  of  these  volumes  of  tracts  of  such  a  cha- 
racter is  indeed  a  most  remarkable  fact ;  and  it  is  matter 
of  regret  that  they  have  not  found  a  place  in  the  library 
of  every  clergyman  and  of  every  Christian  family  in  the 
United  States. 

5.  May  we  not  also  derive  encouragement  from  the 
alarm  which  is  manifested  by  the  advocates  of  sectarian 
division,  and  the  measures  which  they  have  taken  and 
are  taking  to  strengthen  the  chains  of  sect  ?  We  do  not 
intend  to  charge  them  with  aiming  simply  at  that  object. 
They  are  doubtless  moved  by  an  honest  apprehension 
that  the  signs  of  the  times  indicate  a  great  revolution  in 
the  concerns  of  the  church,  which  they  fear  will  overturn 
established  opinions  and  usages,  and  so  open  the  flood- 
gates of  error  as  to  confound  truth  with  falsehood.  This 
has  been  the  ground  of  justification  for  the  continued 
violation  of  the  constitutional  unity  of  the  church  during 


107 


the  last  two  centuries  :  as  though  the  Bible  did  not  con- 
tain within  itself  the  principles  necessary  to  preserve  the 
holy  religion  it  reveals,  and  as  though  something  of  the 
wisdom  of  man  exercised  in  contrariety  to  the  wisdom 
of  God,  were  requisite  to  guard  the  purity  of  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints.  The  measures  now  in 
operation  to  fortify  the  walls  of  sect,  need  not  be  speci- 
fied in  this  place,  especially  as  they  are  distinctly  seen 
by  every  observer  of  what  is  doing  in  the  church.  They 
have  been  prompted  by  the  fear  of  disaster,  from  the  very 
events  and  operations  which  we  hail  as  the  earnests  of 
approaching  deliverance  for  the  church  from  its  unholy 
distractions,  and  of  gathering  into  one  the  whole  family 
of  Christ. 

6.  We  derive  stronger  encouragement  from  the  union 
of  all  opposers  of  religion  against  whatever  deserves  the 
name  of  Christianity.  All  the  hosts  of  opposition  are 
fast  combining  themselves  into  one  army,  to  wage  war 
against  the  Lord  and  his  anointed.  The  church  of 
Rome  will  soon,  unless  some  sudden  change  occurs  in 
the  course  of  things,  fold  in  its  embrace  Unitarians,  Uni- 
versalists,  and  Infidels.  They  see,  or  the  malignant 
spirit  that  impels  them  sees,  that  they  are  ere  long  to 
contend  with  the  united  church  of  Christ,  which  is  the 
object  of  their  deadly  hatred,  and  the  wrath  of  the  foul  ad- 
versary is  evidently  great,  apprehending  that  his  hitherto 
undisturbed  sway  of  the  world  is  short.  As  the  hosts  of 
the  grand  adversary  are  mustering  and  concentrating 
their  strength ;  it  must  either  be  in  consequence  of  indi- 
cations perceived  by  him  of  a  formidable  union  of  the 
army  of  the  Lord  Almighty,  or  it  ought  to  be  viewed  as 
the  signal  and  call  for  such  a  union. 

7.  There  are  evident  tokens  of  a  divine  influence 


108 


upon  the  minds  of  Christians,  which  will  not  permit 
them  to  rest  under  the  present  state  of  unlawful  and  un- 
natural division  in  the  church.  One  of  the  offensive 
forms  in  which  the  unchristian  character  of  divisions  be- 
tween the  followers  of  Christ  is  exhibited,  is  the  exclu- 
sion of  each  other  from  the  table  of  the  Lord,  because 
they  are  not  of  the  same  denomination.  Some  entire 
religious  communities  have  acted  upon  this  exclusive 
practice  of  close  communion  for  ages,  without  having 
been  disturbed  by  any  doubts  of  its  accordance  with  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  This  state  of  the  conscience  was 
owing  entirely  to  the  state  of  feeling,  for  it  is  the  want 
of  correct  religious  feelings  which  has  engendered  most 
of  the  speculative  or  practical  heresies  which  have  trou- 
bled the  church  of  Christ.  The  language  of  sect  to 
every  one  that  believes  not  and  walks  not  with  them  in 
all  things,  is,  "  Stand  by  thyself ;  come  not  near  to  me  ; 
for  I  am  holier  than  thou ;"  and,  when  addressing  her 
own  adherents,  says,  in  reference  to  ail  other  Christians, 
"  Come  ye  out  from  among  them,  my  people,  and  touch 
not  the  unclean  thing." 

But  as  soon  as  a  spark  of  that  universal  love  to  man- 
kind, which  ouglit  to  reign  in  every  heart,  began  to  glow 
in  the  bosoms  of  Christians  in  England  and  America, 
and  manifested  itself  in  active  efforts  to  extend  the  in- 
fluence of  the  gospel,  an  assault  was  made  on  the  throne 
of  sect.  It  was  accompanied  with  a  conviction  of  the 
unscriptural  character  of  the  exclusive  doctrines  that 
had  so  long  been  sanctioned  by  the  strenuous  supporters 
of  sectarian  divisions.  Whde  Doctor  Mason  of  New- 
York  was  writing  his  plea  for  open  communion,  with 
the  view  of  proving  to  his  own  denomination  the  duty  of 
receiving  at  their  table  every  Christian  of  whatever  church 


109 


he  was  a  member,  Robert  Hall,  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
England,  was  preparing  his  book  on  the  same  subject,  in 
order  to  press  the  same  duty  on  his  brethren.  These 
two  giants  in  literature  and  theology  were  moved  at  the 
same  time  toward  the  same  object,  each  of  them  being 
entirely  ignorant  of  what  the  other  was  doing  or  purpos- 
ing to  do.  Both  of  these  publications,  powerful  and 
conclusive  in  the  principles  they  advocate,  strike  a 
deadly  blow  at  the  empire  of  sect ;  for  although  the 
authors,  forcibly  impressed  with  the  utter  incompatibility 
with  Christian  feeling  and  the  constitution  of  the  church, 
of  the  practice  which  excludes  believers  in  Christ  from 
partaking  of  his  supper  at  the  same  table  with  their 
brethren,  aimed  only  at  the  establishment  of  that  truth, 
yet  the  premises  upon  which  their  conclusion  is  based, 
lead  irresistibly  to  the  further  conclusion  that  the  division 
of  the  church  of  Christ  into  independent  sects,  is  unlaw- 
ful and  unconstitutional.  That  this  was  the  legitimate 
conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  these  books  was  well  un- 
derstood by  the  discerning  of  even  their  own  churches, 
and  from  that  time  neither  of  these  two  authors,  good, 
wise,  and  great  nien  as  they  truly  were,  was  a  favourite 
with  his  own  denomination.  The  principles  established 
in  these  publications  are  now  operating  in  the  minds  of 
Christians  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  and  if  they  are, 
as  we  verily  believe  them  to  be,  of  the  leaven  of  Christ- 
ianity, they  will  sooner  or  later  diffuse  themselves  through 
the  whole  mass  of  the  Christian  church.  Their  pro- 
gress may  for  a  while  be  retarded  by  the  opposing  in- 
fluences brought  against  them,  but  ultimately,  if  they 
are  from  God,  they  must  become  prevalent.  He  will 
continue  to  press  upon  the  minds  of  his  people  the  truths 
10 


110 


he  has  commenced  to  teach  them,  until  they  shall  be 
understood,  believed,  and  obeyed. 

What  other  cause  will  be  assigned  for  the  fact,  that 
notwithstanding  the  anxious  efforts  made  to  bind  more 
fast  the  cords  of  sect,  there  is  exhibited  in  many  of  the 
books  and  other  productions  of  the  press,  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic,  as  well  as  in  the  conversations  of  the 
most  exemplary  Christians,  and  every  where  except  in 
assemblies  for  sectarian  purposes,  a  growing  intensity  of 
desire  that  the  partition  walls  in  the  church  of  Christ 
may  be  broken  down  1  Who  would  not  hi\e  been  as- 
tonished a  few  years  ago,  at  a  public  avowal  like  that 
recently  made  in  the  city  of  Durham,  in  England,  of  a 
plan  for  reuniting  all  the  Protestant  churches  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  on  the  broad  ground  of  the  Trinity  ? 
What  meaneth  the  offer  of  a  premium  by  a  Bible  Society 
in  one  of  our  own  cities  at  the  south,  for  the  best  Tract 
on  a  closer  union  of  Christians  in  their  prayers  for  the 
spread  of  the  gospel?  In  our  religious  newspapers  we 
meet  with  frequent  expressions  of  desire  by  Christian 
writers  of  the  increase  of  brotherly  love,  and  for  an  inti- 
mate union  among  the  friends  of  God.  Many  of  the 
published  sermons  of  the  day  breathe  the  same  spirit. 
They  do  not  indeed  advocate  the  abolition  of  sects,  but 
they  notwithstanding  present  us  with  strong  evidence  of 
an  increasing  uneasiness  in  the  minds  of  Christians,  un- 
der the  existing  divisions  of  the  church.  Two  recent 
publications  of  an  exalted  Christian  character  do  expli- 
citly express  the  conviction  of  the  authors,  that  the 
church  ought  to  be  restored  to  its  original  unity,  £md  in- 
timate their  belief  that  the  work  is  practicable.  We 
would  also  mention  another  most  important  fact  which 


Ill 


may  not  be  known  to  many  among  even  general  readers. 
One  branch  of  theological  study  in  the  university  of 
Leipsic  is  Irenics,  (things  relating  to  peace  and  tran- 
quillity,) the  ultimate  aim  in  which  is  the  union  of  all 
sects  and  parties.  How  shall  we  account  for  all  these 
indications,  otherwise  than  by  admitting  the  fact  that 
the  spirit  of  unity  is  at  work  on  the  hearts  of  God's 
people  ? 

8.  Another  encouragement  of  a  somewhat  different 
character,  is  presented  in  the  increase  of  general  know- 
ledge and  its  diffusion  among  the  people.  Much  has 
been  done  of  late  in  this  country,  but  more  has  been 
done  we  apprehend  in  Great  Britain,  in  this  department 
of  benevolence.  Valuable  improvements  are  now  in 
progress  which  are  giving  a  more  universal  spread  to  the 
blessings  of  intellectual  improvement,  and  are  greatly 
elevating  the  standard  of  education.  We  are  happy  to 
witness  such  noble  institutions  as  "  The  Society  for  the 
Diffusion  of  Useful  Knowledge,"  in  England  ;  and  we 
hope  that  our  own  country  will  not  consent  to  be  left  be- 
hind in  this  race  of  benevolent  effort.  The  noxious 
plant  of  sectarian  bigotry  finds  a  congenial  abode  in  the 
dark  shade  of  ignorance,  but  droops  and  dies  in  the  sun- 
shine of  intellectual  improvement.  The  influence  of 
knowledge  to  liberate  the  mind  from  the  narrowness  of 
sectarian  prejudice,  is  the  more  apparent  when  we  ad- 
vert to  the  fact,  that  among  pious  laymen  it  is  very  rare 
to  find  a  man  who  has  acquired  extensive  information, 
and  yet  sets  a  high  value  upon  the  peculiarities  of  the 
denomination  to  which  he  may  belong.  But  among  the 
clergy  this  incongruity  discovers  itself  more  frequently ; 
and  this,  when  it  does  occur,  may  be  attributed  to  his 
peculiar  disposition,  or  the  circumstances  in  which  the, 


112 


individual  is  placed.  He  may  be  naturally  or  from  habit 
rigid  or  intolerant.  His  domestic  or  theological  educa- 
tion and  training  may  have  been  of  a  very  exclusive 
character,  and  the  scene  of  his  labours  may  not  have 
presented  a  favourable  opportunity,  or  may  have  failed 
to  improve  his  facilities  for  acquiring  a  more  liberal  cast 
of  mind.  He  may  be  the  peistor  of  a  people  who  under 
a  former  incumbent  have  drunk  in  a  sectarian  spirit,  and 
he  may,  through  lack  of  firmness  or  some  other  cause, 
have  become  moulded  into  their  views,  instead  of  having 
cimeliorated  their  state  of  mind  ;  or  it  may  be  that  he  oc- 
cupies a  position  in  which  the  whole  of  his  influence  and 
consequence  or  emolument  depends  upon  his  being  a 
high-toned  partizan.  But,  as  a  general  proposition,  how 
easy  is  it  at  the  present  moment  to  gather  into  one  so- 
ciety Christians  whose  minds  are  enlarged  with  general 
information  ;  how  much  more  are  they  now  one  in  heart, 
counsel,  and  action,  than  those  whose  limited  knowledge 
contracts  their  minds  and  precludes  the  entrance  of 
liberal  views  and  feelings.  "  Light  in  the  understamd- 
ing  is  the  source  of  all  reformations,  the  detector  of  all 
evils  and  abuses,  the  corrector  of  all  errors  and  miscon- 
ceptions." And  "  knowledge  and  liberality  of  sentiment 
almost  uniformly  go  hand  in  hand." 

9.  All  these  indications,  it  is  true,  may  fail,  and  we 
should  not  derive  so  much  encouragement  from  them 
as  we  do,  had  we  not "  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy," 
of  which  we  hope  the  accompUshment  is  near  at  hand, 
and  the  day  of  its  fulfilment  dawiiing  upon  the  world. 
The  fields  seem  to  be  whitening  for  the  promised  bar- 
vest.  The  fold  of  Christ  is  now  broken  into  numerous 
divisions,  but  the  time  must  again  return  when  there 
shall  be  but  one  fold,  as  there  is  but  one  shepherd.  The 


iia 

church  of  Christ  is  now  rent  into  parties,  that  envy  and 
vex  one  the  other,  as  Judah  and  Ephraini  of  old  ;  but 
the  time  must  come  when  Ephraim  shall  not  envy  J  udah, 
and  Judah  shall  not  vex  Ephraim.     The  watchmen 
on  the  walls  of  Zion  are  now,  in  the  divided  state  of  the 
church,  each  one  speaking  with  his  own  trumpet,  and 
oftentimes  with  the  trumpet  of  contention  and  war ;  but 
the  period  must  come  when  the  sweet  sounds  of  the 
gospel  shall  proceed  harmoniously  from  all  the  preachers 
of  that  gospel,  for  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  his  church ; 
"  Her  watchmen  shall  lift  up  the  voice,  and  with  the 
voice  together  shall  they  sing  ;  for  they  shall  see  eye  to 
eye,  when  the  Lord  shall  bring  again  Zion."    The  in- 
tercessory prayer  of  the  Saviour  is  itself  virtually  a  pro- 
phecy; for  the  Father  always  heareth  him,  and  will  per- 
form his  request ;  and  he  asks  "  that  they  all  maybe  one 
as  we  are  one."    Hath  the  Lord  spoken,  and  shall  he 
not  do  it  ?    It  is  also  foretold  that  in  the  happy  state  of 
the  world  which  is  coming,  "  they  shall  beat  their 
swords  into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning 
hooks ;  nation  sheill  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more."    And  again, 
"  The  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard 
shall  he  down  with  the  kid."    "  They  shall  not  hurt  or 
destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain."    These  and  other 
prophecies  of  the  like  tenour  are  by  some  interpreted  to 
apply  to  the  church ;  but  admitting  that  to  be  doubtful, 
can  it  be  believed  that  the  nations  and  the  world  of 
mankind  out  of  the  church  will  sheathe  the  sword  of 
war  and  contention,  while  the  church  shall  remain  the 
victim  of  controversy  and  division  1    Will  the  world  be 
reformed  before  the  church  ?     Then  we  may  not  call 
Christiana  the  salt  of  the  earth,  but  the  world  is  the  salt 
10* 


114 


of  the  church,  and  the  city  set  on  a  hill,  and  the  leaven 
to  be  diffused  through  the  mass  of  believers.  If  the 
pacification  of  the  world  is  to  be  effected  by  the  children 
of  God,  is  it  to  be  supposed  that  they  will  exert  their 
influence  to  hush  the  world  into  peace,  and  make  no 
effort  to  establish  peace  and  union  in  the  church?  A 
peace  society  for  abolishing  the  practice  of  war  has  in- 
deed been  formed,  and  it  has  in  its  composition  the 
spirit  of  Christianity,  and  embodies  many  of  the  best 
friends  of  religion  ;  but  while  we  express  oui'  fears  that 
little  will  be  effected  towards  stopping  the  effusion  of 
blood,  while  war  or  division  is  raging  in  the  bosom  of 
the  church,  yet  do  we  view  the  formation  of  this  society 
as  the  earnest,  with  the  means  that  are  already  in  ope- 
ration to  restore,  or  the  tendencies  already  in  motion 
towards  restoring  union  among  Christians,  that  the  reign 
of  sectarianism  is  short. 

The  Lord  has  not  uttered  his  prophecies  with  the 
view  of  exciting  expectations  which  he  does  not  intend 
to  fulfil.  He  will  perform  all  his  promises,  and  verify 
all  his  predictions. 

Yes,  we  can  already  perceive  that  the  way  is  prepar- 
ing for  the  Lord  to  bless  the  effort  to  collect  his  scattered 
friends,  and  encompass  them  with  the  bond  of  heavenly 
love,  and  clothe  them  with  the  beauty  and  strength  of 
unity.  The  flight  of  the  lottery  system,  upon  the  bare 
exposure  of  its  evils,  and  the  deep  wounds  exhibited  by 
the  monster  intemperance,  almost  as  soon  as  he  was 
touched  with  the  spear  of  truth,  are  the  earnests  of  what 
God  is  waiting  to  do,  as  soon  as  his  people  are  willing 
to  act  for  the  purification  of  his  church  from  the  evils 
that  oppress  her. 

In  fact,  the  throne  of  sect  is  evidently  affected  with 


115 


the  symptoms  of  old  age,  and  showing  the  marks  of  de- 
caying power.  Sect  cannot  breath  the  atmosphere  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  and  is  now  employed  in  the 
vain  attempt  to  generate  by  artificial  means  the  atmos- 
phere of  a  by-gone  age,  in  which  alone  it  can  continue  to 
live.  Yea,  if  our  vision  does  not  deceive  us,  the  flame 
is  already  kindled,  which  the  breath  of  the  Almighty 
will  soon  blow  into  so  bright  a  blaze,  that  the  dark  age 
of  sect  will  retire  from  it,  as  the  shadows  of  night  flee 
away  on  the  approach  of  the  sun. 


116 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  MEA.NS  OF  RESTORING   THE  UNITT  OF 
THE  CHURCH. 


1.  Confession  of  the  sin  of  division,  and  asking  forgiveness  of 
God  for  our  own  sin  and  the  sin  of  our  fathers.  —  Why  confess 
the  sin  of  our  fathers  ?  Scriptural  examples,  and  divine  precept 
on  the  subject,  and  the  reason  of  the  requirement  2.  Ceasing 
from  junprofitable  controversy.  3.  Returning  to  scriptural  princi- 
ples in  licensing  ministers  and  receiving  church  members.  4.  Che- 
rishing love  to  Christians  of  every  denomination.  5.  Labouring 
to  elevate  the  standard  of  piety.  6.  Encouraging  the  benevolent 
associations  of  the  day.  7.  Returning  to  the  primitive  mode  of 
reading  the  Bible.  8.  Cherishing  the  spirit  of  prayer  appropriate 
to  the  times. 

The  violation  of  the  unity  of  the  church  has  brought 
upon  her  a  train  of  evils  which  is  incalculable  ;  and,  as 
certainly  as  the  words  of  the  Saviour  are  true,  that  a 
house  divided  agjiinst  itself  shall  not  stand,  so  surely  will 
the  divisions  of  the  church,  unless  healed,  work  out  her 
destruction.  But  there  is  hope  that  the  time  of  applying 
an  adequate  remedy  is  near.  The  Lord,  in  his  wise 
providence,  sometimes  permits  an  evil  to  proceed  to 
extremities,  in  order  more  deeply  to  affect  the  hearts  of 


117 


his  people,  and  to  throw  upon  them  the  necessity  of  de- 
vising measures  for  a  more  radical  reformation  than 
would  otherwise  have  been  thought  of.  By  such  per- 
mission, he  convinces  men  of  the  dreadful  consequen- 
ces of  departing  from  his  law ;  shows  them  their  entire 
dependence  upon  him  for  hght  and  strength,  and  con- 
strains them,  in  the  agony  of  their  souls,  to  cry  out, 
Help  Lord,  or  we  perish.  In  this  way  he  prepares  his 
wayward  children  to  return  to  the  path  of  obedience 
to  his  commands,  and  to  follow  the  intimations  of  his 
providence.  It  was  so  in  regard  to  the  giant  evil  of  in- 
temperance. It  had  grown,  and  like  the  evil  of  division, 
it  had  grown  with  the  countenance  and  co-operation  of 
Christians,  into  such  magnitude  as  to  threaten  speedily  to 
sweep  the  church  as  with  the  besom  of  destruction  from 
the  earth.  The  friends  of  God  then  directed  their  eyes 
to  him,  and  beseeching  him  in  the  earnestness  of  their 
souls  to  save  his  church  and  the  world,  asked  him  what 
must  we  do  to  stop  the  torrent  of  desolation  ?  He  heard 
their  prayer,  pointed  to  the  principle  of  total  abstinence, 
and  has  clothed  that  principle  with  a  power  which  has 
excited  the  astonishment  of  the  world. 

The  only  remedy  for  the  evils  of  sect,  is  the  restora- 
tion of  the  church  to  its  original  unity.  This  reunion 
cannot  be  effected  in  a  day,  nor  in  a  year.  To  propose 
an  immediate  amalgamation  of  all  sects,  under  present 
discordant  feelings  and  prejudices,  would  be  unwise  ; 
it  would  be  madness.  The  time  has  not  come, — merely 
because  the  church  is  not  prepared.  ,  She  ought  to  be 
prepared  noiv,  but  she  is  not,  and  never  will  be  with- 
out the  employment  of  means  adapted  to  the  end.  The 
way  may  indeed  be  prepared  without  the  agency  of  man, 
with  the  purpose  of  accomplishing  it ;  for  God  may  per- 


118 


mit  the  principle  of  division  to  pursue  the  course  of  its 
own  tendency,  until  every  sect  is  dissolved  to  its  very 
elements,  and  then,  what  believers  shall  be  left  remain- 
ing, may  be  glad  to  unite  on  any  terms,  to  enjoy  the 
public  ordinances  of  religion.  But  must  we  wait  until  the 
church  is  dissolved,  and  then  begin  to  collect  the  elements 
and  orgatiize  the  church  anew  1  Or  is  it  our  duty  to 
employ  the  means  in  our  power  to  save  the  church  from 
dissolution  ?  The  Lord  may,  if  it  please  him,  without 
the  use  of  human  means,  and  without  first  permitting 
the  church  to  be  destroyed,  dispose  its  members  to  re- 
store its  original  unity ;  but  this  is  not  the  ordinary  mode 
of  his  operations.  Whatever  is  wrong  in  the  church,  he 
requires  of  his  people  to  see  and  refoitn.  And  will  not 
excuse  their  neglect  induced  by  their  expectation  that 
God  will  bring  all  things  right  without  their  agency. 

Before  we  specify  the  means  to  be  pursued  in  order 
to  effect  the  reunion  of  the  church,  we  beg  leave  to 
impress  on  our  Christian  readers  the  necessity  of  coming 
to  a  decision  on  the  great  and  important  points  which 
we  have  discussed,  of  the  unity  of  the  church,  and  the 
unlawfulness  and  evils  of  di\dsion.  While  the  minds  of 
Christians  are  undecided  on  these  subjects,  we  despair  of 
any  thing  being  done  towards  accomphshing  the  desired 
object.  We  have  not  the  vanity  to  believe  that  the  dis- 
cussion contained  in  this  work  will  be  satisfactory  to 
many  minds  whose  own  reflections  had  not  previously 
brought  them  to  the  same  conclusions.  All  we  have 
hoped  is  that  we  may  succeed  in  awakening  a  measure  of 
attention  in  the  Christian  community,  and  induce  some, 
perhaps  many,  to  examine  for  themselves  whether  these 
things  are  so.  If  upon  examination  they  find  that  we 
have  the  truth  on  our  side,  we  may  claim,  and  do  claim 


119 


of  our  Christian  brethren  that  they  give  it  their  full  and 
cordial  assent,  to  whatever  results  the  admission  of  the 
truth  may  lead  them.  This  request  we  know  to  be  rea- 
sonable, and  we  cannot  consent  to  have  it  refused. 

We  further  beg  of  them  not  to  be  appalled  by  the  dif- 
ficulties and  discouragements  that  may  lie  in  the  way  of 
the  proposed  reformation.  JVe  cede  malis,  is  a  maxim 
of  the  ancients ;  and  we  believe  the  assertion  may  be 
made  with  perfect  safety,  that  there  is  a  remedy  pro- 
vided in  the  goodness  and  wisdom  of  God,  for  all  the 
evils  which  afflict  the  church,  and  press  her  into  the 
dust.  Had  Luther  yielded  to  the  difficulties  which  ob- 
structed his  course,  in  breaking  away  from  the  tyranny 
and  abominations  of  popery,  the  reformation  would 
never  have  been  effected.  If  the  spirit  of  Howard  had 
sunk  under  a  view  of  the  appalling  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  ameliorating  the  condition  of  prisons,  his  philanthropic 
feelings  would  have  died  in  his  own  bosom,  and  the  world 
would  not  at  this  day  be  blessed  with  the  wonderful  impro- 
vements which  have  been  made  in  prison  discipline.  Had 
the  advocates  of  emancipation  and  of  temperance  shrunk 
back  from  their  work,  at  the  view  of  the  powerful  impe- 
diments in  their  way,  the  chains  of  slavery  would  to  this 
day  have  been  as  strong  as  ever,  and  the  tide  of  intem- 
perance would  now  have  rolled  unchecked  and  unresis- 
ted over  the  land.  If  the  friends  of  civil  liberty  shall 
once  yield  to  the  conviction  that  the  rod  of  the  oppres- 
sor is  too  strong  to  be  broken,  then  indeed  shall  the 
world  be  doomed  to  wear  the  chains  of  perpetual  despo- 
tism. So  if  the  friends  of  the  church  shall  sit  down  in 
despondency,  and  refuse  to  move,  because  there  is  a 
lion  in  the  way,  then  may  we  expect,  speedily  to  hear 
the  shout  of  victory  from  the  opposers  of  religion.  But 


120 

we  hope  for  better  things  ;  and  cannot  permit  ourselves 
to  beHeve  that  the  spirit  which  has  been  already  enkind- 
led in  the  bosoms  of  some,  will  fail  to  support  them  in 
their  conflict  with  the  difficulties  that  may  lie  in  the  way 
of  re-establishing  the  church  upon  its  constitutional  basis. 
Obstacles  equally  formidable  have  been  removed  in 
other  schemes  of  benevolence,  and  many  which  at  first 
appeared  appalling,  have  melted  away  at  the  bare  touch 
of  Christian  fortitude. 

I.  The  first  act  which,  in  our  view,  it  would  be  pro- 
per for  the  church  to  perform,  is  humbly  to  confess  the 
sin  of  division,  and  ask  the  forgiveness  of  God. 

We  cannot  hope  for  any  important  reformation  in  the 
church,  without  a  strong  feeling  of  obligation  on  the  part 
of  her  friends,  to  be  active  instruments  in  the  hand  of 
the  Lord,  to  carry  on  the  work  which  is  required.  This 
sense  of  obligation  will  not  be  realized,  in  the  case  be- 
fore us,  without  a  conviction  of  personal  guilt,  at  all 
events  of  being  partakers  in  the  guilt  of  suflfcring  the  evil 
to  continue  in  our  own  day.  Who  of  us  can  ])]ead  not 
guilty  to  the  charge  of  being  at  least  accessory  to  the 
evils  of  division  ?  We  have  all  done  more  or  less  to 
countenance  and  uphold  the  dissentions  that  are  tearing 
the  body  of  our  blessed  Saviour  in  pieces.  We  cannot 
throw  the  whole  guilt  of  division  upon  our  ancestors, 
who  first  departed  from  the  unity  which  ought  to  have 
remained  for  ever  inviolate,  any  more  than  the  present 
generation  of  slave  holders  can  throw  the  v  hole  guilt  of 
slavery  upon  those  who  first  introduced  slaves  into  this 
country  ;  or  than  the  descendants  of  Adam  can  fix  the 
whole  guilt  of  the  apostate  condition  of  mankind  upon 
him.    "  The  Lord  our  God  is  a  jealous  God,  visiting 


121 


the  iniquities  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children,"  from 
generation  to  generation.  The  children  may  obtain  re- 
lief from  such  visitations,  if  they  repent  of  their  sins, 
and  return  to  the  path  of  duty  required  of  them.  God 
threatens  the  people  of  Israel,  in  case  they  should  dis- 
obey his  laws,  to  scatter  them  among  the  nations, 
and  to  leave  them  few  in  number  among  the  heathen. 
"  But  if  from  thence  thou  shalt  seek  the  Lord  thy  God, 
thou  shalt  find  him,  if  thou  seek  him  with  all  thy  heart, 
and  with  all  thy  soul.  When  thou  art  in  tribulation, 
and  all  these  things  are  come  upon  thee,  even  in  the 
latter  days,  if  thou  turn  to  (he  Lord  thy  God, ...  he  will 
not  forsake  thee."  And  after  having  denounced  against 
the  same  people  the  most  awful  curses  in  case  of  their 
disobedience,  he  adds,  "  when  all  these  things  are  come 
upon  thee,  and  thou  shall  return  unto  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  obey  his  voice,  according  to  all  that  I  command 
thee  this  day,  thou  and  thy  children,  with  all  thy  heart 
and  with  all  thy  soul,  then  the  Lord  thy  God  will  have 
compassion  upon  thee ....  he  will  do  thee  good,  and 
multiply  thee  above  thy  fathers,  and  will  circumcise  thy 
heart  and  the  heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul,  that  thou 
mayest  live."    Deut.  xxx. 

Whoever  may  have  been  first  in  the  transgression 
which  has  placed  us  in  a  condition  that  is  morally  wrong, 
it  is  our  duty  to  escape  from  that  condition  without  de- 
lay. And  as  we  are  not  afflicted  for  the  sins  of  our 
fathers  without  some  participation  in  the  guilt,  we  are 
bound  to  make  acknowledgement  to  God,  and  implore 
his  forgiveness.  We  must,  besides,  exert  ourselves  to 
undo  what  is  wrong,  for  this  is  the  only  true  test  of  sin- 
cere repentance.  It  will  not  avail  us  to  lament  the  evils 
11 


122 


of  division,  unless  we  resolve  to  employ  the  faculties 
God  has  given  us,  and  the  means  within  our  reach,  for 
removing  them.  While,  therefore,  the  moral  evil  which 
commenced  with  our  fathers,  continues  to  the  days  of 
their  children,  the  guilt  of  the  past  and  present  genera- 
tion becomes  (so  to  speak)  commingled,  involving  both 
in  one  common  transgression,  for  which  the  displesure 
of  God  is  continued  until  the  offence  be  removed.  It 
was  upon  this  ground  that  Josiah,  king  of  Judah,  when 
he  heard  the  words  of  the  law  which  had  well  nigh  been 
forgotten,  rent  his  clothes,  and  exclaimed,  "  Great  is 
the  wrath  of  the  Lord  against  us,  because  our  fathers 
have  not  hearkened  unto  the  words  of  this  book."  And 
God,  by  his  prophetess,  tells  Josiah,  "  I  will  bring  evil 
upon  this  place  and  upon  the  inhabitants  thereof,  be- 
cause they  have  forsaken  me."  While  Josiah  confesses 
the  guilt  of  the  present  inhabitants  of  Judah,  as  well  as 
the  guilt  of  their  fathers,  God  denounces  his  wrath 
against  the  present  generation,  for  continuing  in  the 
transgression  of  their  fathers.  Josiah  turned  to  the 
Lord  with  all  his  heart  and  with  all  his  soul ;  he  evinced 
the  sincerity  of  his  repentance,  by  immediately  setting 
about  the  work  of  reformation,  and  he  received  for  him- 
self the  forgiveness  of  God.  The  people  seem  to  have 
given  only  a  feigned  concurrence  with  the  pious  efforts 
of  their  king,  and  to  have  persevered  in  the  e^  il  course 
in  which  Manasseh,  their  former  king,  had  been  very 
conspicuous  ;  for  it  is  recorded,  "  The  Lord  turned  not 
from  the  fierceness  of  his  great  wrath,  wherewith  his 
anger  was  kindled  against  Judah,  because  of  all  the 
provocations  that  Manasseh  had  provoked  him  withal." 
And  accordingly,  we  find  that  Judah  soon  after  became 
tributary  to  the  king  of  -Egypt.    2  kings,  xxii.  xxiii. 


123 


But  when,  in  the  days  of  Asa,  who  reigned  some  time 
previous  to  Josiah,  the  people  sought  the  Lord  their 
God  with  all  their  heart,  with  all  their  soul,  and  with 
their  whole  desire,  and  seconded  their  king  in  restoring 
obedience  to  the  commands  of  God,  the  Lord  was 
found  of  them,  and  gave  them  rest  round  about.  2 
Chron.  xv. 

A  great  reformation  was  likewise  brought  about  in 
the  reign  of  Hezekiah.  That  was  also  commenced  with 
confession  of  sins,  with  supplications  for  pardon,  and 
the  aversion  of  God's  wrath.  Hezekiah  addressing  the 
levites  says,  "  Our  fathers  have  trespassed,  and  done 
that  which  is  evil  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  ;  • . .  wherefore 
the  wrath  of  the  Lord  was  upon  Judah  ....  Now,  there- 
fore, it  is  in  my  heart  to  make  a  covenant  with  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel,  that  his  fierce  anger  may  be  turned  away 
from  us.^'  And  he  exhorts  the  priests  and  levites  to  di- 
ligence in  the  work  of  reformation  required  of  them. 
Also  in  the  letters  of  invitation  to  the  solemn  passover 
which  was  afterwards  held,  he  says,  "  Ye  children  of 
Israel,  turn  again  unto  the  Lord  God  ;  .  . .  and  be  not 
like  your  fathers,  and  like  your  brethren  which  trespas- 
sed against  the  Lord ; . . . .  but  yield  yourselves  to  the 
Lord, . . .  that  the  fierceness  of  his  anger  may  turn  away 
from  you."  The  priest  and  the  people  entered  with  the 
heart  upon  this  work  of  reform,  and  their  prayers  were 
heard,  and  the  blessing  of  God  descended  and  rested 
upon  them.  2  Chron.  xxix.  xxx.  xxxi.  When,  at  an- 
other time,  Ezra  became  acquainted  with  the  unlawful 
intermarriages  of  his  Jewish  brethren  with  the  heathen, 
and  learned  that  the  hand  of  the  rulers  and  princes  had 
been  chief  in  the  trespass,  he  rent  his  garment  and  his 
mantle,  plucked  off  the  hair  of  his  head  and  his  beard. 


124 


and  sat  down  astonished.  He  fell  upon  his  knees,  and 
spread  out  his  hands  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  "  I  am 
ashamed  and  blush  to  lift  up  my  face  to  thee,  my  God ; 
for  our  iniquities  are  increased  over  our  heads,  and  our 
trespass  is  grown  up  unto  the  heavens.  Since  the  days 
of  our  fathers,  have  we  been  in  a  great  trespass,  even 
unto  this  day."  He  repeats  the  command  of  God  upon 
that  subject,  and  confesses  the  manner  in  which  it  had 
been  broken,  and  the  justice  of  God's  displeasure  and 
wrath  against  the  people.  He  evinced  the  sincerity  of 
his  humiliation,  by  instantly  commencing  the  work  of 
reform,  and  persevered  therein  until  it  was  completed. 

It  is  always  an  unpleasant  office  to  charge  guilt  upon 
our  fellow  Christians,  even  when  we  confess  our  own 
share  in  it ;  doubly  unpleasant  is  it  in  a  layman  to  prefer 
a  charge  including  ministers  of  the  gospel,  who  are  en- 
titled to  respect  and  reverence  for  their  superior  know- 
ledge and  piety,  and  the  sanctity  of  their  office  ;  it  is  still 
more  unpleasant  to  prefer  a  charge  of  guilt  against  our 
parents  and  ancestors,  whom  we  are  in  the  habit  of  re- 
membering with  the  greatest  reverence.  But  we  find 
that  the  martyr  Stephen,  who  was  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
did  not  hesitate  to  declare  the  truth  to  his  countrymen, 
members  of  the  Jewish  church,  including  the  elders,  the 
scribes,  the  high-priest,  and  even  their  ancestors, — "Ye 
do  always  resist  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  your  fathers  did,  so 
do  ye."  Acts  vii.  51.  And  the  Saviour  himself  brings 
one  common  charge  of  guilt  against  the  Jews  and  their 
fathers.  Matt,  xxiii.  32.  Luke  xi.  47,  48.  It  is  not  in- 
tended to  assert  that  we  and  our  fathers,  guilty  as  we 
are  and  have  been  of  the  sin  of  schism,  are  chargeable 
as  were  the  Jews  of  enmity  against  God  or  the  truth. 
Far  from  it ;  but  all  sin  is  odious  in  the  sight  of  God,  the 


125 


sins  of  his  children  as  well  as  those  of  his  enemies  ;  the 
sin  of  David  as  well  as  the  sin  of  Saul ;  and  both  alike 
deserve  the  displeasure  of  God,  and  require  humble  con- 
fession with  prayer  for  pardon. 

But  what  is  it  to  us,  it  may  be  asked,  that  our  fathers 
in  the  church  have  sinned  as  well  as  we  ourselves,  by 
living  in  a  state  of  sectarian  division  ?  The  question 
might  be  answered  by  inquiring  why  Asa,  and  Josiah, 
and  Hezekiah  confessed  the  sins  of  their  fathers  as  well 
as  their  own,  and  why  the  Saviour  and  Stephen  did  not 
content  themselves  with  charging  sin  only  on  their  own 
contemporaries  ?  Neither  of  these,  surely,  were  defi- 
cient in  respect  for  the  dead,  and  especially  for  their  own 
deceased  ancestors.  Another  answer  may  be  found  in 
Leviticus  xxvi.  where  the  Lord  having  warned  the  chil' 
dren  of  Israel,  that  in  case  they  shall  despise  his  statutes, 
so  that  they  would  not  do  all  his  commandments,  he 
would  send  upon  them  plagues  and  judgements,  and  de- 
solations, so  that  they  should  pine  away  in  their  iniquity, 
and  also  in  the  iniquity  of  their  fathers ;  he  yet  adds  a 
gracious  promise  of  relief  and  restoration,  "If  they  shall 
confess  their  iniquity  and  the  iniquily  of  their  fathers, 
with  their  trespass  which  they  have  trespassed  against 
me,  and  that  also  they  have  walked  contrary  unto  me, 
and  that  I  have  also  walked  contrary  unto  them."  The 
Psalmist  acts  up  to  this  requirement,  when  deprecating 
God's  wrath  from  Israel,  he  says,  "We  have  sinned 
ifilh  our  fathers."  Ps.  cvi.  6.  The  God  of  Israel  could 
take  no  pleasure  in  hearing  the  accusation  of  children 
against  their  progenitors ;  but  he  knows  the  hearts  of 
men  that  they  are  deceitful  above  all  things  ;  he  knows 
the  proneness  of  his  fallen  creatures  to  justify  their  own 
delinquencies  and  transgressions,  by  pleading  the  exam- 
11* 


1^6 


pies  of  their  fathers.  He  foresaw  that  where  the  same 
transgression  should  have  continued  from  age  to  age, 
not  only  the  natural  respect  the  children  have  for  their 
father^,  but  their  disposition  to  justify  themselves  in 
their  own  course  of  conduct  when  sanctioned  by  the 
example  of  their  ancestors,  would  be  sufficient  to  stifle 
any  inceptive  conviction  of  sin  which  might  come  upon 
them.  He  knew  they  would  be  reluctant  to  accuse 
their  fathers  even  in  their  own  minds,  that  they  would 
desire  to  justify  them,  and  if  they  should  be  able  to  be- 
lieve that  the  fathers  were  right,  it  must  follow  that  the 
children  doing  only  the  same  things  must  themselves  be 
free  from  the  imputation  of  guilt.  Had  not  God  made 
it  necessary  for  the  Israelites  to  confess  the  sins  of  their 
fathers  as  well  as  their  own,  how  easy  would  it  have 
i)een  for  the  subjects  of  Asa,  of  Josiah,  and  Hezekiah, 
as  also  the  cotemporaries  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  (see 
Neh.  ix.  3,)  to  have  stopped  the  mouths  of  these  re- 
formers by  telling  them,  "  in  charging  us  with  sin,  you 
accuse  our  fathers  also,  for  we  are  walking  in  their 
steps  ;"  and  thus  the  attention  of  the  people  w  ould  have 
been  drawn  from  their  own  sin,  to  the  supposed  impiety 
of  those  who  irreverently  accused  their  progenitors 
of  having  been  wicked  transgressors  of  God's  law. 
God  therefore  has  wisely  required,  in  order  to  break 
one  of  the  strongest  cords  which  holds  men  to  their 
sins,  that  where  the  fathers  and  children  have  been  in- 
volved in  the  same  transgression,  those  who  desire  to 
evince  their  repentance  and  receive  forgiveness,  must 
confess  the  sins  of  their  fathers  as  well  as  their  own. 
Not  that  God  cannot  or  will  not  pardon  the  true  penitent 
when  he  confesses  and  forsakes  his  own  sin,  but  he 
knows  that  there  can  scarcely  be  a  deep  conviction  of 


r 


127 


guilt,  or  an  honest  disposition  to  make  confession  of  iU 
^Yitiiout  a  willingness  to  honour  God  by  an  acknow- 
ledgement of  the  whole  truth,  whoever  may  be  impli- 
cated with  the  transgressor  in  the  sin  he  confesses.  The 
value  of  this  requirement  was  evident  not  only  in  the 
instances  already  alluded  to  of  Ezra  and  others,  but 
also  in  the  time  of  the  Saviour,  when  the  Jews  had 
wrapped  themselves  in  a  complete  panoply  of  self-justi- 
fication, impenitence,  and  unbelief,  by  pleading  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  elders  and  the  examples  of  their  ancestors 
in  whose  steps  they  trod,  and  to  whose  opinions  they 
adhered  ;  and  for  this  reason  it  may  be  that  Jesus  Christ 
and  Stephen  bring  their  fathers  under  the  same  condem- 
nation with  their  descendants. 

The  propriety  of  the  divine  requirement,  that  the 
children  should  confess  the  sins  of  their  fathers  as  well 
as  their  own,  where  they  are  involved  in  the  same  trans- 
gression, is  strikingly  exemplified  in  the  state  of  feeling 
actually  existing  among  the  various  denominations  of 
the  church  at  the  present  time.  Each  has  its  long  hst 
of  ancients,  who  have  contended  for  the  same  doctrines, 
practised  the  same  rites,  advocated  the  same  form  of 
church  government,  and  sanctioned  the  same  principle 
of  division.  Until  we  admit  the  errors  of  our  fathers, 
how  can  we  feel  a  deep  conviction  of  our  own,  or  make 
a  full  and  honest  confession  of  our  guilt.  Is  it  intimated 
to  us  that  we  are  living  in  a  state  of  unlawful  division  ? 
or  do  our  own  reflections,  while  reading  or  meditating 
on  the  word  of  God,  make  the  same  suggestion  to  our 
minds?  we  instantly  and  instinctively  answer,  "  We  walk 
in  the  steps  of  our  fathers ;  they  were  wise  and  holy 
men  ;  and  we  have  no  disposition  to  charge  them  with 
having  violated  the  constitution  of  the  church,  nor  do  we 


128 


pretend  to  be  wiser  or  better  than  they."  It  is  much 
easier  to  defend  what  is  wrong,  by  pleading  the  exam- 
ples of  our  fathers,  than  it  is  to  defend  it  on  the  princi- 
ples of  reason.  Says  one  of  our  missionaries  in  India, 
"  Were  I  to  preach  for  five  days  to  an  assembly  of  com- 
mon people,  and  with  the  strength  of  argument  and  the 
earnestness  of  Paul,  the  whole  impression  which  I  should 
be  likely  to  make,  might  be  done  away  by  a  single  word 
from  a  Brahmin,  who  should  ask  them,  if  they  were  going 
to  give  up  the  religion  of  their  fathers."  And  thus  we 
make  our  respect  for  the  dead  the  cloak  to  cover  our 
own  sins,  and  to  stifle  all  inquiry  concerning  them. 
How  many  are  there  of  professing  Christians  as  well  as 
others,  who  act  the  same  unfaithful  part  toward  God  and 
themselves  in  regard  to  the  temperance  reformation ! 
They  refuse  to  give  any  ear  to  the  call  of  total  absti- 
nence, comforting  themselves  in  that  they  have  the  ex- 
ample of  their  good  and  wise  fathers  to  countenance  the 
habitual  use  of  distilled  liquors.  We  have  reason  to 
theuik  our  merciful  God  that  he  has  inclined  some  in  the 
spirit  of  scriptural  requirement  to  confess  that  we  and 
our  fathers  have  grievously  sinned  in  this  thing.  How 
much  of  the  success  of  the  temperance  reformation  is  to 
be  attributed  to  this  confession,  is  known  to  Him  who 
requires  confession  to  be  made  in  this  form. 

Christian  brethren,  let  God  be  true  and  every  man  a 
liar.  Let  us  deal  honestly  with  God,  w  ith  the  church, 
and  our  own  consciences.  We  and  our  fathers  are 
verily  guilty  of  violating  the  constitutional  unity  of  the 
church,  of  rending  the  body  of  Christ  asunder,  and 
thereby  emphatically  crucifying  him  afresh  in  the  house 
of  his  friends  ;  of  cherishing  the  spirit  of  controversy, 
contention,  jealousy,  envy,  and  hatred  among  the  mem- 


129 


bers  of  God's  household  ;  of  fostering  the  spirit  of  party 
pride,  bigotry,  and  intolerance  ;  of  grieving  the  Holy 
Spirit  by  our  divisions  and  contentions  ;  of  perpetuating 
errors  of  doctrine,  and  closing  the  door  against  any 
general  reformation  in  the  church  ;  guilty  of  strengthen- 
ing the  hands  of  opposers,  of  retarding  the  latter  day 
glory ;  yea,  of  weakening  the  church,  and  bringing  it 
near  the  verge  of  desolation.  We  of  this  generation  are 
indeed  more  guilty  than  our  fathers.  They  had  not  the 
evidence  which  we  have  of  the  evils  of  division,  nor  had 
they  the  favourable  time  which  we  enjoy  for  reflection. 
We  have  been  and  are  busily  employed  in  repairing, 
strengthening,  and  raising  higher  the  partition  walls, 
which  God  was  crumbling  down  and  evidently  indicates 
his  design  to  demolish.  It  surely  becomes  us  to  adopt 
the  language  of  Daniel  in  his  memorable  confession  re- 
corded  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  his  prophecy.  "  We  have 
sinned  and  committed  iniquity,  and  have  done  wickedly, 
and  have  rebelled  even  by  departing  from  thy  precepts 
and  from  thy  judgements ....  0  Lord,  to  us  belongeth 
confusion  of  face .  .  and  to  our  fathers,  because  we  have 
sinned  against  thee.  Yea  all  Israel  have  transgressed 
thy  law,  even  by  departing  that  they  might  not  obey  thy 
voice ....  and  he  hath  confirmed  his  words  which  he 
spake  against  us  ...  by  bringing  upon  its  a  great  evil .  .  . 
Yet  we  made  not  our  prayer  before  the  Lord  our  God, 
that  we  might  turn  from  our  iniquities  and  understand 
thy  truth.  Therefore  hath  the  Lord  watched  upon  the 
evil  and  brought  it  upon  us  ;  for  the  Lord  our  God  is 
righteous  in  all  the  works  which  he  doeth,  for  we  obeyed 
not  his  voice  0  Lord,  according  to  all  thy  right- 
eousness, I  beseech  thee  let  thine  anger  and  thy  fury  be 
turned  away  from  thy  city  Jerusalem,  thy  holy  moun- 


130 


tain  ;  because  for  our  sins  and  the  sins  of  our  fathers, 
Jerusalem  and  thy  people  have  become  a  reproach  to 
all  that  are  about  us ....  O  my  God,  incline  thine  ear 
and  hear ;  open  thine  eyes  and  behold  our  desolations, 
and  the  city  which  is  called  by  thy  name,  for  we  do  not 
present  our  supplications  before  thee  for  our  righteous- 
ness, but  for  thy  great  mercies;  0  Lord,  hear;  O  Lord 
hearken  and  do ;  defer  not  for  thine  own  sake,  0  my 
God ;  for  thy  city  and  thy  people  are  called  by  thy 
name."  Daniel  ix.  5 — 19.  All  Scripture  is  given  by  in 
spiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  re- 
proof, for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness. 
How  appropriate  is  this  prayer  of  the  prophet  to  the  pre- 
sent condition  of  the  church  of  Christ,  and  how  becom- 
ing to  its  members  would  be  ihe  deep  humility  which  he 
manifests  in  his  confessions  of  the  sins  of  the  people  and 
their  fathers  ;  of  their  unworthiness,  and  his  appeals  to 
the  mercy  of  God,  and  his  regard  for  the  city  and  people 
that  were  called  after  his  own  name. 

Independently  of  the  preceding  considerations,  it  be- 
comes the  church  to  cherish  the  spirit  of  humility.  The 
passage  of  Scripture,  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giv- 
eth  grace  unto  the  humble,  though  often  quoted,  fails, 
we  fear,  of  making  its  legitimate  impression  upon  our 
hearts.  The  spirit  of  party  is  the  spirit  of  pride,  and 
while  it  is  fostered  by  the  contentions  of  varv  ing  sects, 
it  diffuses  itself  more  or  less  through  all  the  affairs  of  the 
church,  even  those  with  which  sectarian  feelings  have 
apparently  little  or  nothing  to  do.  It  seems  quite  diflB- 
cult  to  frame  the  narrative  of  a  revival  of  religion,  or  of 
some  good  measure  of  success  that  has  followed  the 
labours  of  a  Missionarv',  without  exhibiting  or  illy  con- 
cealing something  of  a  boastful  spirit,  either  as  it  regards 


131 


the  instrument  employed,  or  as  it  regards  the  denomina- 
tion, or  the  party  in  the  subdivision  of  the  denomination 
to  which  he  belongs.  We  would  not  wish  to  repress  a 
single  emotion  of  joy  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  but 
let  not  this  joy  be  mingled  with  the  unholy  feehngs  of 
selfish  or  sectarian  exultation,  nor  make  us  unmindful  of 
the  slowness  of  the  actual  progress  of  religion  and  the 
numbers  emd  power  of  the  enemies  of  true  godliness.  A 
glowing  narrative  of  success  by  one  denomination  or 
society,  may  provoke  a  coloured  representation  of  facts 
by  another  which  is  its  rival.  These  contests,  so  to 
name  them,  must  be  very  offensive  to  God,  as  they  are 
the  derision  of  the  enemies  of  religion.  They  must  in 
their  effects  retard  the  ultimate  success  of  the  gospel, 
and  keep  alive  the  unholy  passions  of  party  pride  on  one 
side  and  of  jealousy  and  envy  on  the  other.  The  tri- 
umphs of  temperance,  even,  have  been  sung  in  too  high 
a  strciin  of  exultation.  Christian  brethren,  let  us  not 
conceal  the  t^uth  from  ourselves  and  others  ;  we  cannot 
conceal  it  from  our  God,  nor  can  we  alter  the  actual 
state  of  things  by  putting  a  veil  over  our  own  eyes  or  the 
eyes  of  our  fellow  men.  The  number  of  professed  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  has  indeed  greatly  increased  of  late 
years ;  but  what  progress  has  been  made  in  producing 
the  fruits  of  the  spirit,  peaceableness,  gentleness,  bro- 
therly love,  honesty,  purity,  sobriety,  moderation,  meek- 
ness, self-denial,  and  humility  ?  Party  zeal  may  swell 
the  number  of  nominal  converts,  but  party  zeal  cannot 
ensure  the  production  of  the  fruits  of  the  spirit  in  those 
who  are  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  party.  Let  us  con- 
fess and  feel  that  the  standard  of  piety  is  low,  notwith- 
standing the  great  numbers  that  have  been  added  to  the 
various  divisions  of  the  church.    Indeed  we  are  over- 


132 


loaded  with  nominal  professors  of  religion,  under  which 
many  denominations  groan  and  are  sorely  burdened,  in- 
somuch that  Christianity  has  become  so  much  amalga- 
mated with  the  world,  that  the  world  cannot  discern  the 
difference  between  themselves  and  Christians,  and  it 
requires  much  of  that  charity  which  hopeth  ail  things  to 
support  the  actual  friends  of  Christ  in  the  belief  that  the 
greater  portion  of  what  is  gathered  into  the  garner  is  not 
chaff.  The  cause  of  foreign  missions  progresses,  in- 
deed, but  how  little  has  been  done  !  The  cause  of  do- 
mestic missions  and  of  tracts  is  advancing,  yet  little  is 
accomplished  in  comparison  with  the  power  of  the 
Christian  community.  The  enemy  are  collecting  their 
forces  and  uniting  their  energies.  In  a  very  few  years 
we  may  see  infidels,  universalists,  heretics  of  every  de- 
scription, the  sceptic  aad  the  hater  of  religion  making 
common  cause  with  the  church  of  Rome,  to  trample 
every  protestant  denomination  in  the  dust.  The  divided, 
distracted  state  of  protestant  Christians,  one  envying 
and  opposing  the  other,  will  make  them  an  easy  prey  to 
such  numerous  and  powerful  foes  as  seem  preparing  to 
unite  against  them.  Surely  it  becomes  all  who  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  walk  softly  and  humbly  under  pre- 
sent circumstances  and  indications. 

We  presume  the  reader  has  not  failed  to  see  the  bear- 
ing of  the  measure  we  have  just  recommended,  upon  the 
object  sought  to  be  accomplished.  Without  the  blessing 
and  help  of  God  the  evil  of  s.chism  will  never  be  remov- 
ed ;  and  he  has  appointed  self-abasement  and  confession 
as  one  of  the  indispensable  means  of  procuring  his  par- 
don of  the  sin,  and  strength  to  recover  from  its  delete- 
rious effects.  Besides,  the  frame  of  mind  pre-supposed 
in  making  suicere  acknowledgement  of  guilt,  is  of 


133 


primary  importance  to  prepare  men  for  salutary  effort. 

II.  Let  Christians  cease  from  unprofitable  contro- 
versij. 

Were  the  followers  of  Christ  duly  convinced  of  the 
unlawfulness  and  evils  of  division,  and  of  the  guilt  con- 
sequently resting  upon  them  ;  were  they  humbled  under 
a  sense  of  the  low  standard  of  piety,  and  of  the  danger 
of  still  greater  depression,  arising  from  the  multitude  of 
■worldly  professors  constantly  increasing  through  the  ef- 
forts of  party  zeal ;  and  were  they  fully  aware  of  the 
crisis  which  seems  impendmg  from  the  signs  of  a  speedy 
union  of  all  the  enemies  of  the  church,  they  would 
surely  be  willing  to  give  a  truce  to  all  hostilities  against 
their  own  friends  and  natural  allies.  Tliey  '.vould  ab- 
stain from  all  unprofitable  controversy,  tending  to  keep 
alive  the  remembrance  and  the  feeling  of  opposition 
between  brethren  of  the  same  household  of  faith.  How 
long  shall  we  continue  to  agitate  doubtful  and  perplexing 
subjects,  which  have  been  controverted  for  centuries  or 
ages,  and  which  remain  as  far  from  being  settled  as 
ever?  Think  you  that  Jesus  Christ  can  be  pleased 
with  those  endless  and  diversified  disputes  which  alien- 
ate the  hearts  of  his  people  from  each  other,  and  pre- 
vent them  ftom  living  on  terms  of  brotherly  love  and 
unity  ?  How  do  Presbyterians  like  the  controversy  now 
carried  on  between  the  disciples  of  the  old  and  new  school, 
and  the  disputes  respecting  new  men  and  new  mea- 
sures, which  disquiet  that  denomination,  and  threaten 
to  tear  it  asunder?  Are  the  Congregationalists  any 
better  pleased  with  the  profitless  discussions  between 
the  disciples  of  Taylor  and  his  antagonists?  How  do 
the  Episcopalians  rehsh  the  disputes  between  high 
12 


134 


churchmen  and  low  churchmen ;  and  the  Methodists 
and  Baptists  those  which  are  distracting  their  denomina- 
tions ?  We  ask  not  how  the  parties  who  are  employed 
and  whose  feelings  are  engaged  in  these  disputations 
relish  them,  for  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  of  war  is 
always  grateful  to  the  soldier  who  pants  for  honour  or 
victory  in  the  field  of  battle  ;  but  we  ask  how  do  these 
dissentions  affect  the  hearts  of  those  who  w  ould  gladly 
see  their  brethren  of  the  same  denomination  walk  to- 
gether in  love  and  unity,  and  who  deprecate  a  schism  in 
their  body  as  a  deplorable  calamity  1  Of  such  we  doubt 
not  there  are  many  in  every  division  of  the  protestant 
church  ;  and  to  such  we  say,  depend  upon  it,  brethren, 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  as  desirous  of  preserving  peace  and 
unity  among  all  his  followers,  as  you  are  to  preserve  these 
blessings  in  your  own  religious  community ;  and  he  is 
as  much  displeased  with  any  controversy  which  produ- 
ces or  continues  schisms  in  his  body  consisting  of  all 
believers,  as  you  are  with  those  disputations  which  dis- 
tract your  own  denomination.  No  matter  whether 
these  endless  controversies  are  kept  up  in  books,  maga- 
zines, newspapers,  or  tracts,  or  in  the  pulpit,  the  lecture- 
room,  or  the  family,  they  are  all,  as  we  verily  believe, 
highly  displeasing  to  the  great  Head  of  the  church,  w  ho 
desires  all  his  people  to  be  one,  and  to  be  of  the  same 
mind,  and  to  speak  the  same  thing,  and  who  has  given 
us,  iri  the  Holy  Scripture,  abundant  store  of  doctrines 
and  precepts  in  which  all  Christians  are  substantially 
agreed,  and  which  are  able  to  make  all  wise  unto  sal- 
vation. 

Let  these  disputations  cease,  at  least  until  Christians 
shall  have  recovered  from  those  sectarian  feelings  so 
unfavourable  to  the  exercise  of  an  impartial  judgement 


135 


upon  the  truths  of  God's  word,  which  are  the  subjects 
of  controversy  ;  and  if  they  shall  then  appear  of  suffi- 
cient importance,  let  the  discussions  be  renewed  ip  the 
spirit  of  brotherly  love,  and  honest  inquiry  after  the 
truth.  Let  there  be  peace,  at  least  now,  among  the 
soldiers  of  Christ,  while  the  hosts  of  our  natural  enemies 
are  thickening  upon  us,  and  when  we  have  so  much  to 
do,  to  fortify  the  position  of  the  church,  as  well  as  to 
carry  the  war  into  the  enemies'  country.  Baxter,  in 
his  Saints  Rest,  quotes  from  another,  "  that  the  lovers  of 
controversy  have  never  been  warmed  with  one  spark  of 
the  love  of  God."  Though  we  do  not  unite  in  the  senti- 
ment, we  cannot  forbear  to  express  the  opinion  that  it  is 
plainly  a  mistaken  application  of  intellectual  power  to  em- 
ploy it,  at  the  present  time,  in  polemical  disputations, 
calculated  to  widen  or  keep  open  the  breaches  between 
God's  people.  This,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  is  felt 
by  numbers  who  are  sighing  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem, 
and  who  fully  respond  to  the  sentiment  expressed  by  the 
late  Mrs.  Hannah  More  :  "  My  very  soul,"  said  she, 
"  is  sick  of  religious  controversy.  How  I  hate  the  little 
narrowing  names  of  Arminian  and  Calvinist.  Christia- 
nity is  a  broad  basis.  Bible  Christianity  is  what  I  love  ; 
that  does  not  insist  on  opinions  indifferent  in  themselves 
—  a  Christianity  practical  and  pure,  which  teaches  holi- 
ness, humility,  repentance  and  faith  in  Christ ;  and 
which,  after  summing  up  all  the  evangelical  graces,  de- 
clares that  the  greatest  of  these  is  charity." 

Should  there  be  a  much  longer  continuance  of  the 
controversies  that  are  now  carried  on  in  the  church,  the 
danger  is  that  men  will  presently  turn  away  in  disgust 
from  the  discussion  of  any  doctrine  in  the  Bible.  In- 
deed it  is  doubtful  whether  this  feeling  does  not  already. 


136 


in  some  measure,  begin  to  prevail.  This  would  be  a 
serious  evil,  prejudicial  to  the  cause  of  truth,  but  it 
would  ill  become  the  lovers  of  controversy  to  complain 
©fit,  when  they  are  themselves  the  authws  of  the  evil. 

The  tendency  of  Christianity  is  to  peace  and  unity. 
Controversy  is  the  aliment  of  sectarian  feelings.  It  is 
evident,  therefore,  that  the  bare  cessation  from  unprofit- 
table  disputation,  must  act  directly  upon  the  restoration 
of  Christian  union. 

III.  Let  us  return  to  scriptural  principles,  in  licen- 
sing ministers,  and  receiving  members  into  the  church. 

When  these  sectarian  controversies  shall  have  sub- 
sided, which,  as  it  is  intimated  by  Mr.  Abbott,  in  his 
Young  Christian,  (a  popular  and  excellent  work)  are 
mostly  on  speculative  points,  not  touching  the  essential 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  nor  the  important  duties  we 
owe  to  God  and  our  fellow  men,  it  will  be  easy  to  intro- 
duce into  the  churches  a  more  catholic  principle  in  li- 
censing ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  in  the  reception  of 
members.  A  candidate  for  the  ministry  ought  to  be 
measured  by  the  standard  of  scriptural  qualifications, 
and  not  by  rules  of  human  invention.  He  may  not  be 
rejected  because  he  cannot  pronounce  the  shibboleths  of 
party.  If  he  gives  evidence  of  his  love  to  God  and  pre- 
cious souls,  he  ought  not  to  be  required  to  give  proof  of 
his  attachment  to  any  particular  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians. If  he  show  a  capacity  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  and 
edify  believers,  who  has  the  right  to  inquire  how  far  he 
will  advance  the  interests  of  any  sect  ?  If  he  be  quali^ 
fied  to  preach  to  Christians  of  one  sect,  he  is  qualified 
to  preach  to  Christians  of  every  sect.  If  he  be  not  qua- 
lified to  preach  for  every  denomination,  he  is  not  quali- 


137 

Red  to  preach  for  a  ny.  If  he  may  be  lawfully  refused 
by  a  bishop  or  presbytery  under  the  banners  of  Paul,  he 
ought  not  to  be  Ucensed  to  preach  in  the  sect  of  Apollos  ; 
for  Christ  is  not  divided.  If  he  believes  the  essential 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  confessing  the  faith  once  deli- 
vered to  the  saints,  he  ought  not  to  be  required  to  sub- 
scribe to  every  article  of  any  human  creed.  Any  man  or 
body  of  men  assuming  the  right  to  license  ministers  of 
the  gospel,  who  proceed  on  any  other  principles  than 
these,  depart  from  the  example  of  Christ  and  his  apos- 
tles, however  faithfully  they  may  adhere  to  rules  of 
human  invention.  They  act  not  on  the  ground  of  the 
Scriptures,  but  adopt  a  standard  erected  by  fallible  men, 
violating  the  principles  of  the  Bible.  They  refuse  li- 
censes to  men  whom  the  Saviour  and  his  apostles,  and 
the  primitive  Christians  would  not  have  hesitated  to  li- 
cense. They  act  on  principles  which,  if  generally 
adopted,  will  perpetuate  the  divisions  in  the  church,  and 
render  its  reunion  impossible,  and  so  it  will  fall  an  easy 
prey  to  its  enemies. 

In  the  reception  of  members  into  the  church,  which 
is  the  household  of  Christ,  the  regulations  which  he  has 
established  as  the  head  of  the  family,  are  to  be  observed, 
and  not  any  rules  which  may  have  been  devised  by  any 
portion  of  that  family,  when  opposed  to,  or  unwarranted 
by  those  which  he  has  ordained.  He  received  all  who 
believed  on  him,  and  who  exhibited  that  die  love  of 
Christ  had  been  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts,  by  the  rege- 
nerating influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  We  are  war- 
ranted by  the  Scriptures  to  reject  from  the  family  of 
Christ  such  as  do  not  exhibit  the  character  of  children, 
either  in  their  outward  walk,  or  by  denying  such  of  the 
truths  of  Christianity  as  that  the  denial  will  afford  pre- 
12* 


138 


sumplive  evidence  that  the  love  of  Christ  is  not  in  them ; 
what  these  doctrines  are,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  deter- 
mining from  the  Scriptures,  unless  the  difficulties  arise 
from  sectarian  prejudices  atid  habits.    The  apostles  and 
their  disciples  acted  on  the  same  principles  with  the  Sa- 
viour himself,  and  Paul  expressly  directs  the  Romans, 
chapter  xv.  7,  to  receive  one  another,  as  Christ  also 
received  them  ;  and  this  direction  seems  to  refer  to  every 
form  of  reception  which  one  Christian  can  give  to  an- 
other, and  not  to  exclude  the  manner  or  spirit  in  which 
they  are  to  be  admitted  into  the  church.    The  principle 
we  advocate  is  so  much  in  accordance  with  the  entire 
scope  ofUhe  New  Testament,  that  we  need  not  to  be 
solicitous  to  prove  that  the  passage  just  quoted  has  a 
direct  reference  to  the  reception  of  members  into  the 
church.    There  is  no  doubt  of  the  ground  on  which 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  the  primitive  Christians  ad- 
mitted men  to  the  privileges  of  membership.  They 
were  received  not  because  they  belonged  to  Paul,  to 
Apollos,  or  to  any  party  of  believers,  but  simply  because 
they  were  believers  in  Christ.    No  suggestions  of  hu- 
man wisdom,  predicated  on  the  divisions  actually  exist- 
ing in  the  church,  can  be  of  any  weight  to  establish 
new  rules  of  admission,  because  these  divisions  are  in 
themselves  unlawful  and  inadmissible  by  the  constitution 
of  the  church.  Christ  now  receives  men  as  his  children, 
•  and  will  admit  .them  into  heaven,  although  they  differ 
from  us  on  minor  points  of  doctrine,  rituals,  and  govern- 
ment.   And  cannot  we  receive  into  the  visible  church 
those  whom  we  believe  Christ  receives  into  the  invisible 
church,  and  will  admit  into  heaven?     There  is  no 
church  on  earth  as  holy  as  heaven,  and  we  cannot  be 
sure  that  those  who  differ  from  us  now,  will,  after  their 


139 


admission  into  heaven,  be  converted  to  our  creed  or 
form  of  worship.  It  is  for  the  individual  believer  to 
make  his  choice  of  that  church  of  which  he  will  become 
a  member,  and  if  he  is  willing  to  hold  Christian  fellow- 
ship with  us  who  differ  from  him,  we  ought  to  be  willing 
to  hold  fellowship  with  him,  although  he  differs  from  us. 
We  may  not  thrust  him  from  us  becau.se  he  agrees  not 
in  all  things  with  us.  As  he  seeks  for  Christian  edifica- 
tion and  comfort,  in  the  same  portion  of  Christ's  family 
with  ourselves,  we  ought  not  to  treat  him  as  a  stranger, 
for  he  is  a  child.  We  must  always  remember  that 
Christ  is  the  head,  and  not  we,  of  his  household  ;  and 
we  have  no  right  to  frame  rules  to  exclude  one  of  such 
as  he  receives,  unless  we  can  plead  his  warrant  for  the 
measure. 

A  return  to  the  primitive  scriptural  practice  of  licen- 
sing ministers,  and  admitting  members  into  the  church, 
will  place  in  its  proper  light  the  jealousy  which  is  often 
manifested  when  converts  to  the  faith  of  Christ  find  their 
way  into  some  other  denomination  than  our  own.  If 
indeed  their  choice  of  another  sect  would  throw  them 
into  a  den  of  wolves  or  tigers,  it  might  be  worth  much 
anxiety  and  pains  to  prevent  the  calamity ;  but  if  it  be 
in  truth  a  Christian  community  into  which  he  is  received, 
in  which  he  will  be  fed  with  the  bread  of  life,  though  it 
may  in  our  apprehension  be  not  quite  so  nutricious  as 
our  own,  it  seems  not  to  present  an  occasion  of  deep 
mourning,  and  certainly  should  not  awaken  in  us  the 
feelings  of  jealousy  or  envy.  Were  this  subject  viewed 
in  its  proper  light,  we  should  not  witness  those  efforta 
to  electioneer  members  into  churches,  which  has  excit- 
ed the  grief  of  the  sober  Christian,  and  the  derision  of 
the  unbeliever ;  which  has  filled  the  dhurch  with  nominal 


/ 


140 

professors,  turned  back  in  disgust  many  an  inquiring 
soul,  hardened  the  hearts  of  the  careless,  and  given  oc- 
casion to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme. 

Let  us  be  willing  to  admit  that  other  communities  of 
Christians  have  the  same  right  to  claim  peculiar  excel- 
lencies with  ourselves,  since  they  have  had  and  still 
have  among  them  the  wise  and  the  good.  And  while 
the  divisions  in  the  church  continue,  let  us  leave  the 
young  convert  to  choose,  without  molestation,  to  what 
denomination  he  will  attach  himself  in  order  to  enjoy  the 
ordinances  of  God's  house,  as  perhaps  he  would,  after 
all,  make  a  wiser  choice  for  himself  than  we  would 
make  for  him.  Other  sects  than  our  own  may  indeed 
assail  him,  prejudice  him  against  ours,  and  give  false 
colours  to  the  excellencies  of  their  own.  This  then  is 
their  error  and  sin  ;  and  let  us  not  make  ourselves  parta- 
kers in  the  same  transgression,  and  betray  the  same  little- 
ness of  spirit,  by  adopting  measures  to  counteract  such 
interferences;  remembering  that  in  a  contest  of  this  kind, 
both  parties  are  likely  to  be  actuated  more  by  the  spirit 
of  carnal  strife  than  by  a  regard  to  the  truth,  the  good 
of  the  individual,  or  the  glory  of  God.  The  laws  of 
self-defence  have  no  application  to  these  inglorious 
struggles  for  victory,  and  we  practise  gross  imposition 
on  ourselves,  when  we  hope  to  be  governed  in  them  by 
principles  worthy  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  God  only 
knows  whether  any  of  the  existing  denominations  of 
Christians  have  any  decided  advantage  over  their  bre- 
thren ;  for  our  partisan  feelings  do  not  admit  of  our  dis- 
cerning the  excellencies  of  others,  and  even  if  we  did 
discern  them,  our  party  regulations  do  not  permit  us  to 
adopt  them  into  our  system.  Hence  we  see  the  neces- 
sity of  pursuing  such  a  course  of  meeisures,  as  will  tend 


141 


to  soften  the  asperity  of  sectarian  feeling,  before  the 
Christian  community  will  become  fully  persuaded  of  the 
folly  and  sin  of  sectarian  divisions  and  contentions. 

The  training  and  then  licensing  ministers  for  particular 
denominations,  and  the  training  and  receiving  members 
with  the  same  view,  is  what  fortifies  sect,  and  operates 
against  Christian  union.  Let  more  liberal  and  scrip- 
tural principles  guide  the  churches  in  these  matters, 
and  much  will  be  gained  towards  setting  ministers, 
church  officers,  and  private  members,  loose  from  their 
sectarian  partialities,  and  make  room  for  the  growth  of 
more  liberal  feelings. 

IV.   Let  us  cherish  the  feeling  of  love  to  all  Christians. 

We  should  not  only  be  anxious  to  remove  out  of  the 
way  whatever  produces  or  cherishes  alienation  of  heart 
from  our  fellow  Christians  of  other  denominations,  but 
should  sedulously  cultivate  in  our  minds  the  feeling  of 
love  towards  them ;  calling  to  our  aid  the  powerful  reasons 
and  motives  urged  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  for  the  exer- 
cise of  this  affection.  We  should  remember  the  bond 
of  union  by  which  all  Christians  are  connected  'together 
by  the  command  of  our  Saviour,  even  as  the  members  of 
the  human  body  are  united  to  constitute  one  perfect  man. 
All  depend  upon  one  another ;  —  nor  can  one  say  of  the 
other,  I  have  no  need  of  thee,  and  I  will  not  belong  to 
the  same  body  with  thee.  How  preposterous  were  it, 
should  one  of  the  eyes  refuse  to  hold  the  corresponding 
place  in  the  head  with  the  other,  that  did  not  at  times 
direct  itself  to  the  same  object  of  sight,  or  perform  the 
office  of  vision  with  the  same  perfection  ;  or  for  one  of 
the  arms  to  withdraw  from  its  companionship  with  the 
other,  that  had  less  of  comeliness  or  strength  than  itself. 


142 


The  mutual  dependence  of  Christians  united  as  mem- 
bers of  the  same  spiritual  body  whereof  Christ  is  the 
head,  should  inspire  them  with  love  to  support,  nourish, 
and  encourage  one  another  in  their  conflict  with  Satan, 
the  world,  and  the  corruption  of  their  own  hearts. 

We  should  remember  too  that  while  Christians  of 
other  denominations  are  less  sound  and  comely  in  our 
eyes  than  ourselves,  we  appear  to  them  in  the  same  light 
that  they  do  to  us.  All  in  truth  have  their  imperfec- 
tions, blots,  blemishes,  and  erroneous  opinions,  for  it 
is  not  in  man  to  be  perfect.  Yea,  if  we  could  see  with 
the  eye  of  omniscience,  we  should  see  that  there  is  no 
soundness  in  us ;  that  in  us  there  dwelleth  no  good 
thing ;  that  our  very  righteousnesses  are  filthy  rags, 
and  our  hearts  a  cage  of  unclean  birds.  Yet  we  pray 
that  God  would  be  patient  and  forbearing  towards  us, 
forgive  our  sins,  love  us,  hold  communion  with  us,  yea, 
walk  with  us  continually,  supporting  us  when  we  wake 
and  when  we  sleep,  in  health  and  in  sickness,  in  the 
day  of  prosperity  and  in  the  day  of  calamity,  and  we  ex- 
pect that  he  will  do  so,  because  he  has  graciously  pro- 
mised that  he  will.  But  we  are  as  much  bound  to  for- 
bear, love,  and  help  to  hold  communion,  and  walk  with 
our  brethren  in  Christ,  as  God  is  to  do  so  unto  us. 
His  promise  is  no  more  imperative  upon  him  than 
his  command  is  upon  us,  and  there  is  surely  as  much 
reason  that  we  should  obey  his  commands,  as  that  he 
should  perform  his  promise.  Nay,  more  so,  as  his 
command  upon  us  is  unconditional,  and  his  promises 
are  made  oftentimes,  if  not  always,  under  the  condition 
expressed  or  implied  that  we  perform  the  corresponding 
duty  to  our  fellow-men.  Who  will  obtain  mercy  from 
the  Lord     Those  who  are  merciful  to  their  fellow- 


143 


creatures.  Who  will  obtain  forgiveness  of  their  sins  1 
Those  who  from  the  heart  forgive  others  their  trespass- 
es. Will  God  then  bear  with  our  infirmities,  errors  of 
opinions  or  practice,  if  we  will  not  bear  with  our  bre- 
thren in  their  imperfections  ?  Will  he  love  us,  who  are 
in  truth  almost  entirely  unlike  to  him,  when  we  do  not 
love  our  brethren,  who  are  in  almost  all  things  like  unto 
ourselves,  and  differ  from  us  in  only  a  few  particulars  ? 
The  only  ground  on  which  God  can  exercise  the  love  of 
complacency  towards  us  personally,  is,  that  he  has  im- 
parted to  us  a  small  portion  of  his  own  moral  image, 
and  of  this  image  he  has  imparted  a  portion  to  every  be- 
liever, lie  can  see  the  marks  of  his  own  image  on 
e  very  o.ie  that  is  born  of  the  S[)irit,  and  so  could  we,  if 
we  were  not  blinded  by  our  partial  judgements.  No- 
thing tends  more  to  obscure  our  perceptions  of  God's 
image  in  others,  than  the  blindinn;  influence  of  sectarian 
prejudice.  The  Christian  graces  shine  very  obscurely 
in  those  who  are  not  of  our  own  way  in  all  things,  for 
we  magnify  their  faults  and  underrate  their  graces. 

The  apostle  John,  in  his  first  epistle,  says  that  he 
who  loveth  his  brother  abideth  in  the  light,  but  "  he  that 
hateth  his  brother  is  in  darkness,  and  walkcth  in  dark- 
ness, and  knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth,  because  dark- 
ness has  blinded  his  eijes."  1  John  ii.  10,  11.  He 
useth  the  expression  "  hateth  his  brother,"  in  the  same 
sense  as  not  loving  him,  1  John  iv.  20,  21,  where  he 
says,  "If  a  man  say,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  bro- 
ther, he  is  a  liar.  For  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother 
whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can  he  love  God  whom  he 
hath  not  seen  1  And  this  command  have  we  from  him, 
that  he  who  loveth  God  love  his  brother  also."  We  cite 
those  passages  for  another  purpose,  beside  that  of  pro- 


144 


ving  that  not  to  love  one's  brother  is  to  hate  him ; 
namely,  to  show  that  he  who  hopes  to  maintain  good 
evidence  of  his  love  to  God,  must  manifest  love  to  his 
Christian  brethren. 

What  then  is  love  ?  It  is  the  opposite  of  hatred,  and 
certainly  very  different  from  the  feeling  of  aversion  or 
even  indifference.  We  all  know  what  is  love,  when 
exercised  towards  parents  or  children,  brothers  or  sis- 
ters of  the  same  family.  It  is  our  love  to  them  which 
makes  us  tender  of  their  good  name,  and  moves  us  to 
extenuate  or  cover  their  faults,  bear  with  their  differen- 
ces from  us  in  taste,  habits,  opinion  or  behaviour,  and 
desire  their  company,  notwithstanding  bodily  or  even 
moral  blemishes  and  deformities.  How  different  is  this 
from  the  feelings  we  entertain  towards  brethren  who 
belong  with  us  to  the  same  household  of  Christ,  but 
who  have  not  adopted  the  same  sectarian  name.  Such  is 
the  blinding  influence  of  sect,  that  many  openly  avow  the 
sentiment  that  they  cannot  walk  with  Christians  of  another 
denomination.  They  acknowledge  that  the  asperities 
of  sect  ought  to  be  softened,  but  they  insist  that  the 
partition  walls  must  remain,  and  they  deem  it  quite 
enough  that  the  wall  should  be  so  far  lowered  as  that 
those  on  the  opposite  sides  may  shake  hands  over  it. 
This  is  now  quite  a  popular  conceit  among  the  apolo- 
gists of  sect ;  but  what  does  it  mean  ,  except  it  be  that 
Christians  who  do  not  see  all  things  in  the  same  light, 
must  not  step  over  the  wall,  and  embrace  each  other, 
nor  even  walk  in  company  ;  that  they  can  at  most  give 
a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand,  and  must  then  retreat  mu- 
tually from  the  wall,  lest  a  stay  might  produce  a  quarrel, 
or  at  least  unpleasant  sensations?  Is  this  the  exhibition 
of  Christian  love?     Is  this  Christian  fellowship?  Is 


145 


this  walking  together,  as  becometh  the  children  of  God? 
Where  is  the  warrant  from  the  Scriptures,  to  hmit  our 
love  to  any  portion  of  our  brethren?  We  must  in- 
deed avoid  evil  communications,  and  not  walk  in  the 
counsel  of  the  ungodly,  nor  stand  in  the  way  of  sinners; 
we  are  commanded  to  beware  of  wolves  in  sheep's 
clothing ;  but  we  are  nowhere  cautioned  to  avoid  inti- 
mate fellowship  with  the  saints  in  whom  dwelleth  the 
spirit  of  sanctification,  lest  we  should  be  corrupted  with 
their  imperfect  or  erroneous  apprehensions  of  doctrine, 
nor  are  we  apprized  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  danger  of 
mingling  with  the  actual  sheep  of  Christ,  lest  we  should 
be  bitten  or  devoured  by  them.  The  command  is  ge- 
neral to  all  Christians,  to  please  their  neighbour  for 
good  to  edification ;  to  have  fervent  charity  among 
themselves,  charity  which  shall  cover  the  multitude  of 
sins,  which  hopeth  all  things,  believeth  all  things,  and 
beareth  all  things.  The  saints  are  commanded  not  to 
forsake  the  assembling  of  themselves  together;  not  that 
the  followers  of  Paul  must  meet  for  prayer,  praise,  and 
edification,  with  the  admirers  of  Paul,  and  the  friends  of 
ApoUos  with  those  who  entertain  the  same  preferences  ; 
but  there  must  be  no  such  divisions  among  them. 

We  have  already  said  that  God's  promises  to  us  are 
in  many  instances,  if  not  generally,  on  the  condition 
express  or  implied  that  we  perform  the  corresponding 
duties  to  our  fellow-men ;  and  among  our  fellow-men, 
those  who  are  believers  in  Christ,  have  an  emphatic 
claim  upon  us.  *'  Do  good  unto  all  men,  especially  to 
the  household  of  faith."  Our  Saviour  tells  us  to  pray 
"  forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  them  that  tres- 
pass against  us."  In  the  spirit  of  this  prayer,  we  ought 
13 


146 


to  ask  of  God  to  forbear  with  us,  in  our  errors  of  opinion 
or  practice,  as  we  forbear  with  our  brethren  in  their  dif- 
ferences from  us  ;  to  walk  with  us  notwithstanding  our 
many  short  comings  in  regard  to  his  requirements,  even 
as  we  walk  with  our  brethren,  notwithstanding  their  fail- 
ure to  come  up  to  the  measure  of  our  standard  ;  to  ma- 
nifest his  love  to  us,  notwithstanding  our  manifold  ble- 
mishes and  perverseness,  even  as  we  love  our  bre- 
thren, notwithstanding  the  unlovely  traits  in  their  cha- 
racter. Christian  brethren,  can  we  pray  in  this  spirit, 
so  long  as  we  treat  as  strangers,  not  to  say  as  oppon- 
ents, those  who  are  believers  in  Christ  as  well  as  our- 
selves, because  they  cannot  in  all  things  see  with  our 
eyes,  and  understand  with  our  judgements?  Would 
not  our  prayers,  if  expressed  in  the  language  of  our  feel- 
ings, be  as  follows  ?  "  Forbear  thou  with  us,  although 
thou  seest  in  us  so  much  that  is  contrary  to  thy  mind 
and  will ;  but  excuse  us  our  unwillingness  to  bear  with 
our  brethren,  in  whom  there  are  a  few  things  contrary 
to  our  mind  and  will."  "  Manifest  to  us  the  tokens  of 
thy  love,  notwithstanding  that  we  are  covered  with  sin 
and  pollution ;  but  ask  not  of  us  to  exhibit  much  affec- 
tion for  those  in  whom  we  observe  a  few  spots  and  ble- 
mishes." "Walk  thou  with  us,  be  on  our  right  hand 
and  our  left,  notwithstanding  that  we  are  so  unlike  thee; 
but  demand  not  of  us  to  remove  the  partition  wall  which 
we  have  erected  to  separate  us  from  those  of  thy  chil- 
dren who  are  in  a  few  unessential  particulars  unlike  our- 
selves :  we  cannot  walk  with  them ;  we  cannot  speak 
with  them  of  the  common  salvation  ;  we  cannot  endure 
to  hear  the  preaching  which  edifies  them ;  we  uill  not 
practise  our  religious  rites,  nor  administer  the  govern- 


147 


ment  of  the  church  in  the  same  house  with  them,  al- 
though we  confess  that  their  bodies  are  the  temples  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  the  Father  and  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ  dwell  in  them,  and  delight  to  hold  communion 
with  them." 


148 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  MEANS    FOR    RESTORING    THE    UN  ITT 
OF    THE    CHURCH,  CONTINUED. 


5.  Labour  to  elevate  the  standard  of  religion.  6.  Encourage  the 
benevolent  associations  of  the  day.  7.  Return  to  the  primitire  mode 
of  reading  the  Scriptures.  8.  Cherish  the  spirit  of  prayer  appropriate 
to  the  times,  especially  for  a  more  devoted  arid  more  efficient  ministry. 

V.  Let  Christians  labour  to  elevate  the  standard  of 
religion. 

When  the  disciples  of  Christ  shall  have  been  baptized 
into  the  spirit  of  brotherly  love,  as  required  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, they  will  be  in  a  better  state  of  mind  to  understand 
the  design  of  God  in  establishing  a  church  upon  earth,  and 
constituting  it  one  and  indivisible.  Mankind  stands  ar- 
rayed in  two  great  divisions  ;  the  seed  of  the  serpent  on 
the  one  side,  and  the  seed  of  the  woman  on  the  other. 
The  first  is  headed  by  Satan,  the  prince  of  the  power  of 
the  air,  who  worketh  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  dis- 
obedience ;  the  latter  is  headed  by  Emanuel,  king  in 
Zion,  who  designs  to  subdue  all  nations  to  himself  and 


149 


bring  the  whole  world  under  his  spiritual  dominion.  To 
accomplish  this  work,  he  employs  his  church,  composed 
of  all  believers,  into  each  of  whom  he  has  infused  a  mea- 
sure of  his  own  Spirit,  and  with  so  vast  a  conquest  to 
achieve,  they  have  no  time  to  lose  ;  for  while  they  loi- 
ter, Satan  drags  his  thousands  and  his  millions  to  hell, 
and  then  exults  in  the  smoke  of  their  torment,  which  is 
ascending  for  ever  and  ever.  It  is  unbecoming  the  cha- 
racter of  those  who  are  the  followers  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace  to  fall  out  by  the  way  ;  and  it  is  subversive  of  his 
design  to  rid  the  world  of  its  tyrant,  that  they  should 
waste  their  time  and  energies  in  fruitless  controversy 
among  themselves,  when  all  their  strength  and  all  their 
resources  are  required  to  conquer  and  subdue  the  great 
enemy.  The  weapons  of  their  warfare  are  not  carnal 
but  spiritual ;  and  they  are  mighty  through  God  to  the 
pulling  down  of  strong  holds,  bringing  into  captivity 
every  thought  to  the  obedience  of  Christ.  Unlike  other 
soldiers,  they  are  to  conquer  not  by  destroying  the  ene- 
mies of  their  Prince,  nor  even  by  injuring  them,  but  by 
doing  them  good,  and  winning  them  over  to  his  side. 
The  mode  in  which  they  are  to  accomplish  it,  is  by 
showing  them  the  sin  of  rebellion  against  their  lawful 
Sovereign,  proclaim  the  terms  of  pardon  and  reconcilia- 
tion, and  denouncing  the  doom  that  awaits  them,  if  they 
refuse  to  submit  to  the  offer  of  mercy.  In  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  great  enterprise,  while  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  efficient  agent  in  subduing  the  hearts  of  his  ene- 
mies, he  employs  the  instrumentality  of  men  who  have 
themselves  been  brought  to  the  obedience  of  the  gospel, 
and  expects  them  to  use  the  means  which  he  has  him- 
self appointed,  and  which,  in  his  wisdom,  he  has  adap- 
ted to  the  end  to  be  accomplished.  He  requires  th© 
13* 


150 


united  efforts  of  all  his  friends ;  to  each  of  whom  he  has 
given  a  talent  or  more,  which  they  are  bound  to  use  for 
his  profit,  under  the  penalty  of  receiving,  in  case  of  dis- 
obedience, the  retribution  of  a  wicked  and  slothful  ser- 
vant. Every  Christian  is  a  servant  of  Christ ;  and  he 
has  work  to  be  performed  by  every  one  of  them  ;  suffer- 
ing no  one  to  stand  idle,  without  administering  to  him 
reproof,  and  urging  him  on  to  labour. 

The  nature  of  the  service  required  of  Christians,  de- 
mands that  they  make  in  their  lives  an  exhibition  of  the 
excellency  of  their  principles,  that  the  world  may  behold 
in  them  a  contrast  to  their  own,  and  perceive  ^ith  a 
single  glance  the  superiority  of  the  religion  of  Christ, 
even  as  the  light  of  a  candle  in  the  darkness  of  night 
can  be  perceived  at  once  by  the  eyes  of  a  beholder. 
Their  character  must  present  not  only  the  shining  quali- 
ties of  light,  but  also  the  durable  and  preserving  quality 
of  salt,  to  preserve  the  world  from  corruption.  Their  af- 
fections and  efforts  must  not  be  confined  to  the  limits  of  a 
congregation,  or  the  bounds  of  a  sect,  but  their  benevo- 
lence must  embrace  the  whole  human  family,  and  the 
effects  of  their  benevolence  must  be  diffused,  like  leaven, 
through  the  whole  mass  of  mankind.  They  should  mani- 
fest their  supreme  love  to  God  by  evincing  their  readiness 
to  forego  any  of  its  possessions  and  enjoyments,  if  thereby 
they  can  advance  the  extension  of  his  kingdom.  They 
ought  to  show  their  affections  to  be  in  heaven,  by  soar- 
ing above  the  maxims,  customs,  and  follies  of  the  lovers 
of  the  world.  It  ought  to  be  apparent  to  those  who  ob- 
serve their  conduct,  that  they  are  seeking  first  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  his  righteousness  ;  in  all  their  dealings, 
they  should  practise  strict  honesty,  as  in  the  sight  of 
God.  They  should  owe  no  man  any  thing,  not  living 
above  their  income,  not  contracting  debts  which  they 


m 


have  not  the  prospect,  upon  prudent  calculation,  of  dis- 
charging; and  avoiding  entanglements  and  hazards  in 
their  business,  they  should  escape  those  insolvencies 
which  so  often  wreck  the  character  of  the  Christian  pro- 
fessor, and  injure  the  cause  of  religion.  Nor  should 
they  be  partisans  in  those  political  excitements  which, 
however  they  may  be  in  character  for  those  who  do  not 
habitually  look  beyond  this  world,  are  not  becoming 
those  who  profess  to  be  pilgrims  and  strangers  in  the 
earth.  They  ought  to  show  their  superiority  to  the 
selfishness  of  ungodly  men,  and  their  consequent  quar- 
rels and  contentions,  by  living,  as  far  as  is  possible, 
peacably  with  all  men. — It  is  necessary  above  all  things 
that  they  have  fervent  charity  among  themselves. 
"  Hereby  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples, 
if  ye  have  love  one  to  another." 

It  is  only  by  a  faithful  exhibition  of  Christian  charac- 
ter, that  the  light  of  Christians  can  so  shine  as  to  have 
a  converting  influence  upon  sinners.  This  stands  pro- 
minent among  the  means  of  grace  ordained  of  God  to 
convince  a  gainsaying  world.  So  long  as  Christianity 
is  merely  or  mostly  represented  to  them  as  a  theory  un- 
sui>ported  by  the  lives  of  its  professors,  they  find  little 
difficulty  to  evade  its  claims  upon  them.  They  judge 
of  the  theory  by  the  exhibition  of  it  made  by  those  who 
pretend  to  have  embraced  it ;  and  when  they  observe 
many  who  in  their  works  deny  it,  or  manifest  a  spirit 
much  below  its  holy  requirements,  why  should  we  won- 
der that  the  unbelieving  sinner,  instead  of  glorifying 
God  from  the  exhibition  made  of  religion  by  its  profes- 
sors, should  take  occasion  to  blaspheme  his  name,  and 
contemn  his  cause? 

The  direct  way  to  reunite  the  church  of  Christ,  is  to 


152 


elevate  the  standard  of  religion.  This  is  of  much  greater 
importance  than  an  increase  of  numbers.  What  avails 
the  multitude  of  servants,  when  they  refuse  to  do  their 
master's  work  ;  or  the  multitude  of  soldiers,  when  they 
decline  the  toils,  privations  and  dangers  incident  to  the 
life  and  duty  of  a  soldier?  Of  what  value  are  those  dis- 
ciples who  spend  their  lifetime  in  learning  the  require- 
ments of  their  teacher,  but  are  never  ready  to  reduce 
them  to  practice  ?  How  few  are  there  of  the  multitudes 
admitted  into  the  church,  who  understand  the  nature  of 
their  calling,  if  we  may  take  their  actions  as  a  true 
exhibition  of  their  attainments  in  knowledge. 

To  what  cause  must  we  ascribe  the  low  state  of  reli- 
gion among  professors  of  the  gospel?  Making  all  just 
allowances  for  the  remains  of  corruption  in  the  hearts  of 
believers,  and  the  influence  of  the  world,  and  other 
temptations  that  seduce  them  from  a  life  of  godliness, 
much  of  the  prevalent  defect  of  Christian  character  and 
conduct  must,  we  apprehend,  be  attributed  to  the  par- 
tial and  injudicious  system  of  teaching  and  training 
adopted  in  the  churches.  There  are  many  honourable 
exceptions,  which  we  do  not  design  to  include  in  our 
remarks,  and  whose  example  we  wish  were  generally 
followed.  We  speak  of  the  mass  of  congregations  in 
this  country,  at  least  as  far  as  our  information  extends. 
Great  pains  are  in  many  instances  taken  to  make  what 
are  called  good  Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  Metho- 
dists, or  Baptists,  but  how  little,  in  comparison  to  its 
relative  importance,  is  done  to  make  men  faithful  sol- 
diers of  the  cross,  and  faithful  labourers  in  the  harvest 
of  the  Lord?  In  the  reception  of  members  into  the 
church,  much  more  of  anxiety  is  manifested  to  ascer- 
tain what  they  believe,  than  what  they  do,  or  what  they 


design  or  are  willing  to  do,  for  advancing  the  interests 
of  Christ's  kingdom.  Such  is  the  influence  of  the  sec- 
tarian spirit  which  mingles  itself  with  all  the  concerns  of 
the  divided  church,  that  the  laborious  self-denying  duties 
of  Christianity  are  thrown  into  the  back  ground,  seldom 
brought  into  view,  and  then  in  a  manner  betraying  feel- 
ings of  httle  or  no  interest.  Ministers  have  not  cou- 
rage, or  they  have  not  the  zeal  animating  them  to  incul- 
cate openly  and  fearlessly  the  vanity  of  an  empty  profes- 
sion, and  to  point  out  in  what  it  consists.  They  deal 
in  generals,  when  they  ought  to  descend  to  particulars. 
Not  that  we  would  desire  (for  we  deprecate  most  ear- 
nestly) that  rudeness  of  reproof,  personality,  and  cen- 
soriousness,  which  is  inconsistent  with  the  gentleness, 
prudence,  and  charity,  inculcated  in  the  Scriptures.  A 
public  teacher  may  be  plain,  particular,  and  pungent, 
upon  the  Christian  duties  of  benevolence,  diligence  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord,  self-denial,  deadness  to  the  world, 
honesty,  purity,  humility,  forgiveness  of  injuries,  and 
the  like,  without  being  rude,  personal,  or  imprudent. 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles,  as  well  as  John  the  Bap- 
tist, in  the  public  addresses,  as  well  as  the  private  dis- 
courses they  delivered,  were  less  urgent  on  matters  of 
faith  not  immediately  connected  with  practice,  than  our 
public  teachers,  in  these  sectarian  times.  They  insisted 
more  on  duties,  and  the  points  of  faith  inseparable  from 
those  duties ;  and  in  their  instructions  they  were  ex- 
ceedingly plain,  giving  to  each  class  of  persons,  and  in 
less  public  discourses,  to  individuals,  their  portion  in 
due  season.  John  the  Baptist  preached  the  doctrine  of 
repentance,  insisting  with  his  hearers  on  the  perform- 
ance of  those  duties  which  evince  the  actual  exercise  of 
repentance.    He  was  pc»nted  in  his  instructions,  direct- 


154 


ing  the  publicans  to  cease  from  false  accusations,  the 
soldiers  from  violence  and  discontent  with  their  wages  ; 
and  admonishing  the  people  generally  to  throw  off  their 
selfishness,  and  impart  liberally  to  the  wants  of  others. 
He  demands  that  every  tree  bring  forth  its  appropriate 
fruit,  or  that  it  would  be  cut  down  and  cast  into  the  fire. 
Luke  iii.  9  —  14.  It  needed  no  metaphysical  discus- 
sion nor  formal  definition,  at  that  time,  to  explain  what 
was  repentance ;  nor  is  it  needed  now,  for  the  nature  of 
the  duty  has  not  changed  since  the  days  of  John  the 
Baptist,  and  never  will.  The  Saviour  is  equally  plain 
and  pungent.  There  is  no  misunderstanding  his  injunc- 
tions and  requirements ;  he  employed  no  intricate  and 
complex  demonstrations,  nor  such  generality  of  applica- 
tion as  to  admit  of  exceptions  according  to  the  taste  or 
inclination  of  the  individual.  The  preaching  of  the 
apostles  was  of  the  same  character,  and  that  of  all 
these  was  in  harmony  with  the  prophets  who  preceded 
them. 

We  are  not  the  advocates  of  new  men  or  new  mea- 
sures unwarranted  by  scriptural  authority  ;  but  we  de- 
precate the  squeamishness,  the  generality,  the  indis- 
tinctness of  modem  days,  in  the  inculcation  of  Chris- 
tian duties.  It  is  from  this  cause  that  there  is  upon  the 
minds  of  professors  of  religion  so  httle  sense  of  the  obli- 
gation to  perform  the  duties  clearly  taught  and  impera- 
tively enforced  in  the  Bible.  You  see  it  in  the  general 
neglect  of  those  duties.  You  hear  it  in  the  discourse  of 
Christians,  which,  when  not  directed  to  matters  of  a 
mere  worldly  nature,  is  much  more  on  matters  of  con- 
troverted belief  and  the  externals  of  religion,  than  on  the 
duties  enjoined  upon  them  as  the  friends  and  servants 
of  the  Lord,  and  as  brethren  to  each  other.    It  is  as 


155 


every  one  knows,  much  more  easy  to  move  a  church  to 
exercise  discipline  towards  one  of  its  members  for  an 
error  of  opinion,  though  of  a  controverted  and  unessential 
character,  than  for  even  the  habitual  neglect  of  essential 
duties  clearly  enjoined  in  the  Scriptures.  Were  (Chris- 
tians taught  differently,  and  were  this  teaching  supported 
by  proper  discipline,  administered  with  Christian  love, 
with  patience  and  perseverance,  the  standard  of  piety 
would  soon  be  raised  higher ;  the  light  of  Christianity 
would  shine  on  every  side  ;  the  wickedness  of  the  unbe- 
liever would  be  rebuked  by  the  walk  of  the  believer  ;  the 
salt  of  the  earth  would  regain  its  savour,  and  the  leaven 
of  Christianity  would  be  diffused  all  around,  until  it 
should  leaven  the  whole  world.  The  children  would 
generally  receive  instruction  from  the  fountain  of  wis- 
dom, the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  the  rising  generation  would 
grow  up  a  host  for  the  service  of  the  church  of  Christ ; 
labourers  would  be  qualified  and  sent  forth  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Lord  of  the  harvest ;  the  means  of  grace 
would  be  furnished  to  the  destitute  in  Christian  lands, 
and  our  seamen  would  be  converted  into  messengers  of 
salvation  to  distant  countries.  Ileligious  tracts  would 
be  put  into  the  hands  of  every  reader ;  the  Bible  would 
be  found  in  every  family ;  the  i)ure  gospel  of  Christ 
would  be  preached  to  every  creature,  and  the  knowledge 
of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  would  fill  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  seas.  The  means  to  accomplish  these  glo- 
rious objects  would  be  cheerfully  furnished  from  the 
abundance  which  God  hath,  at  this  day,  so  signally 
showered  upon  the  Christian  world.  Our  benevolent 
institutions  would  be  amply  supported,  and  would  flou- 
rish, moving  on  to  the  accomplishment  of  their  noble  de- 
signs, without  exciting  the  opposition,  the  envy,  or  the 


156 


jealousy  of  religious  denominations.  As  the  system  of 
religious  teaching  shall  be  reformed,  the  power  of  Chris- 
tianity upon  the  hearts  and  lives  of  its  professors  will  re- 
appear, the  attachment  of  men  to  their  sectarian  pecu- 
liarities will  consequently  decrease,  and  the  obstacles  to 
the  reunion  of  the  church  will  melt  away. 

VI.  Let  us  encourage  (he  benevolent  associations  of 
the  datj. 

That  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  evangelize  the 
world  admits  of  no  dispute.  That  it  will  ever  be  accom- 
plished by  the  divided  church,  there  is  no  reason  to 
hope.  She  cannot  even  keep  pace  with  the  increasing 
population  and  consequent  wants  of  our  own  country, 
and  what  will  she  do  with  the  rest  of  this  wide  world  ? 
Nothing  was  done  by  the  church  in  this  country  to  carry 
the  gospel  to  the  distant  heathen,  prior  to  the  formation 
of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions  ;  nor  was  any  thing  worthy  the  name  of  an  im- 
portant effort  attempted  towards  sending  the  gospel  to 
the  destitute  in  our  own  country  before  the  organization 
of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society.  These 
associations  were  formed  by  Christians  who  saw  the  ne- 
cessity of  breaking  away  from  the  chains  of  sect  which 
had  so  long  held  the  church  in  bondage,  and  deprived  her 
of  the  power  and  the  will  to  obey  the  commands  of  a 
risen  Saviour,  and  to  extend  the  bounds  of  his  dominion. 
They  aim  at  the  universal  spread  of  the  gospel  of  salva- 
tion, and  that  freely,  as  it  is  announced  in  the  Scriptures. 
To  sustain  them  in  their  operations,  they  need  all  the 
countenance  and  pecuniary  assistance  which  it  is  in  the 
power  of  Christians  in  America  to  afford.  Being  as 
catholic  in  their  principles  and  measures  as  the  condition 


157 


of  the  church  has  hitherto  admitted,  they  present  strong 
claims  upon  several  denominations,  if  not  upon  all 
American  Christians,  for  their  cordial  and  vigorous  sup- 
port. They  aeed  men,  preachers  of  the  gospel,  teach- 
ers of  schools,  physicians  and  mechanics,  to  answer  the 
purposes  of  their  organization ;  nor  will  those  purposes 
be  answered  until  the  nations  and  people  coming  within 
the  scope  of  their  operations,  shall  be  civilized,  and 
brought  under  the  influence  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

To  furnish  these  societies  as  well  as  the  churches  in 
this  country  with  competent  ministers  of  the  gospel,  it  is 
found  necessary  to  afford  the  means  of  a  suitable  educa- 
tion to  pious  young  men  who  have  not  the  means  of  ed- 
ucating themselves.  For  the  accomplishment  of  this 
object  the  American  Education  Society  was  formed,  a 
society  in  its  principles  and  operations  entirely  catholic, 
and  which  excludes  not  students  of  any  rehgious  denom- 
ination. They  have  now  under  their  care  several  hun- 
dreds of  young  men,  of  various  creeds,  with  the  view  of 
training  them  for  the  service  of  any  of  the  churches  that 
may  require  their  ministry,  and  with  the  hope  of  sending 
many  of  them  into  the  missionary  field. 

But  the  wants  of  the  world  demand  a  more  rapid  in- 
crease of  preachers  of  the  gospel  than  can  be  furnished 
by  means  of  the  Education  Society,  without  securing  a 
more  efficient  education  to  children  prior  to  their  admis- 
sion into  its  care.  To  supply  this  defect,  as  well  as  to 
extend  the  benefits  of  a  religious  education  to  all  the 
children  of  our  land,  the  American  Sunday  School  Union 
was  formed.  In  this  institution  there  is  nothing  of  a 
sectarian  character,  the  Scriptures  being  the  fountain  of 
instruction  recommended  by  those  who  conduct  its  con- 
cerns ;  but  as  they  are  unwilling  to  refuse  their  aid  to  any 
14 


158 


Christians,  and  are  cheerfully  desirous  of  imparting  unto 
all  the  advantages  of  their  union,  they  admit  as  auxilia- 
ries any  societies  of  Christians,  although  they  may  prefer 
instruction  from  their  catechism  to  instruction  from  the 
Bible  itself,  and  therefore  even  sectarians  have  no  ground 
of  objection  to  the  plan  and  general  objects  of  this 
society. 

That  much  neglected  class  of  men  which  navigate 
our  merchant  vessels  and  ships  of  war,  are  now  receiv- 
ing the  kind  attention  of  another  benevolent  society, 
called  "  The  Seamen's  Friend  Society,"  which  claims 
kindred  with  no  particular  sect  of  Christians,  but  appeals 
for  its  support  to  the  humane  and  pious  feelings  of  all, 
without  distinction  of  party.  Here  is  one  class  of  our 
fellow  beings,  who  are  in  measure  supplied  with  the  rich 
and  abundant  means  of  grace  without  any  thing  like 
sectarian  organization.  Preachers  of  all  denominations 
are  invited  to  preach  to  the  poor  seaman,  who  needs  as 
pure  and  heavenly  food  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  as 
does  the  landsman  ;  and  no  one  acquainted  with  the 
religious  concerns  of  seamen  entertains  a  doubt  but  that 
the  bread  and  water  of  life  is  in  truth  administered  to 
them.  Here  is  an  institution  which  commends  itself  to 
the  conscience,  the  affections,  and  efficient  support  of 
all  Christians,  except  such  as  can  see  no  charms  in  any 
thing  that  advances  not  the  peculiar  interests  of  his  own 
sect.  We  rejoice  in  the  patronage  given  to  this  society, 
while  we  grieve  that  it  touches  not  the  feelings  and 
secures  not  the  prayers  and  contributions  of  every  Chris- 
tian. 

The  American  Bible  Society  deser\  es  and  receives  a 
great  degree  of  patronage  from  the  Christian  commu- 
nity.   Pubhshing  as  they  do  the  Bible  without  note  or 


159 


comment,  it  cannot  be  supposed  to  meet  with  opposition 
from  any  but  infidels  ;  and  it  is  in  fact  loved  by  all 
Christians  who  are  acquainted  with  its  nature  and  its 
operations,  except  only  those  who  are  offended  with  ev- 
ery thing  upon  which  they  cannot  see  the  stamp  of  their 
own  sect.  And  yet  it  is  true  that  there  are  multitudes  of 
believers  in  every  part  of  the  land  who  are  not  sufficiently 
acquainted  with  this  noble  institution  to  enlist  them  in  its 
support ;  from  some  others  it  receives  occasional  and 
scanty  contributions  ;  and  it  is  limited  and  often  embar- 
rassed in  its  efforts  for  want  of  a  uniform,  constant,  and 
liberal  support  from  American  Christians.  Surely  our 
continent  ought  not  now  to  be  unsupplied  with  the  Holy 
Scriptures  for  the  want  of  funds  ;  and  if  the  means  of 
affording  the  supply  shall  not  be  furnished  in  a  short  pe- 
riod, it  must  be  attributed  to  some  other  cause  than  the 
want  of  merit  in  the  claims  of  the  society. 

The  American  Tract  Society  is  another  benevolent 
institution  worthy  of  the  nation  and  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, scattering  the  leaves  of  salvation  at  home  and 
abroad,  with  as  liberal  a  hand  as  the  means  furnished 
them  will  permit.  The  matter  of  their  nine  volumes  of 
tracts,  besides  their  numerous  other  publications,  every 
one  will  admit  to  be  excellent  and  abundant,  affording 
food  to  the  Christian  soul  under  all  its  varying  circum- 
stances, and  urging  upon  the  sinner  the  great  and  impor- 
t£mt  duties  God  requires  of  him,  presenting  to  him  every 
motive  which  can  be  supposed  to  influence  man  as  a 
reasonable  and  accountable  being.  They  teach  and 
inculcate  the  great  and  essential  doctrines  of  salvation 
in  a  manner  that  cannot  offend  the  sensibilities  of  any 
sectarian,  save  him  who  is  displeased  with  every  sound 
that  pronounces  not  the  shibboleths  of  his  party.  And  yet 


160 


there  are  many  churches  that  exclude  from  circulation 
among  them  the  publications  of  this  truly  excellent  and 
benevolent  association  in  order  to  give  exclusive  room 
for  the  party  tracts  of  their  own  denomination.  These 
not  only  fail  of  helping  to  increase  the  resources  of  the 
national  society,  but  withhold  from  it  through  the  force 
of  party  prejudice  many  a  contribution  which  would  oth- 
erwise be  made  to  its  funds. 

The  Prison  Discipline  Society  is  also  most  truly  hu- 
mane in  its  principles,  and  happy  in  the  resuhs  of  its 
efforts.  Much  has  been  done  by  it  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  prisoner,  as  vi  ell  as  to  make  his  imprison- 
ment the  means  of  reforming  his  character  by  keeping 
from  him  the  means  of  grosser  corruption,  and  by  sup- 
plying him  with  mental,  moral  and  religious  instruction. 
Much  has  been  done  to  elucidate  the  causes  of  crime, 
and  something  we  hope  to  guide  the  legislator  and  phi- 
lanthropist in  the  effort  to  prevent  its  increase,  and  even 
to  diminish  its  amount.  This  society  has,  moreover, 
been  the  means  of  bringing  glory  to  the  cross  of  Christ, 
by  exhibiting  the  power  of  religion  upon  some  of  the 
most  depraved  of  the  human  species,  and  by  affording 
striking  illustrations  of  many  of  its  truths.  This  society 
does  not  indeed  require  much  of  the  personal  efforts 
or  contributions  of  Christians,  but  it  needs  the  good 
will  and  the  prayers  of  all ;  and  the  privilege  of  sustaining 
it,  ought  to  be  coveted  by  all  the  benevolent,  instead  of 
permitting  that  privilege  to  be  enjoyed  by  an  inconsider- 
able number.  These  last  remarks  apply  also  to  the 
Peace  Society,  and  the  Temperance  Society,  which  are 
both  truly  benevolent  in  their  objects,  and  ought  to  com- 
mand the  co-operation  of  every  community,  and  their 


161 


prayers  that  the  benefits  of  their  principles  may  be  real- 
ized by  themselves  and  the  whole  world  of  mankind. 

Although  none  of  these  societies  have  a  direct  aim  at 
reuniting  the  distracted  church  of  Christ,  but  design 
only  to  promote  each  its  appropriate  and  avowed  object, 
they  do  all  of  them  actually  form  a  bond  of  union  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  between  Christians  of  various  de- 
nominations ;  and  in  their  associations  tend  directly  to 
cherish  those  feelings  and  principles  which  must  become 
more  generally  prevalent  before  the  tyrannic  power  of 
sect  can  be  broken,  and  Christianity  liberated  from  its 
thraldom.  And  until  the  time  shall  arrive  when  public 
sentiment  shall  be  sufficiently  corrected  to  sustain  insti- 
tutions with  the  like  object,  of  a  character  still  more 
catholic,  those  now  in  operation  present  a  strong  and 
imperative  claim  to  the  warm  and  vigorous  support  of 
every  friend  to  the  reunion  of  the  church.  We  there- 
fore cannot  refrain  from  earnestly  recommending  the 
cheerful  and  liberal  support  of  these  benevolent  associa- 
tions as  one  of  the  principal  means  of  restoring  ihe  con- 
stitutional unity  of  the  church,  as  well  as  of  elevating  the 
standard  of  religion  in  the  Christian  community. 

The  claims  of  these  hberal  societies  are,  however, 
evaded  or  resisted  by  many  who  may  be  very  honest  in 
their  opinions,  but  whose  judgements  appear  to  us  to  be 
evidently  perverted  by  the  force  of  sectarian  prejudice. 
It  is  gravely  argued  and  thousands  yield  to  its  force,  that  as 
every  church  is  connected  with  some  denomination,  ev- 
ery one  who  becomes  a  church  member  thereby  proclaims 
before  God  and  the  world  that  the  denomination  to  which 
he  belongs  is  in  his  judgement  better  than  any  other  in 
existence,  and  that  therefore  he  is  bound  to  do  all  in  his 
power  for  that  denomination,  otherwise  he  denies  his 
14* 


162 


own  profession.    That  is,  if  there  be  a  Bible  society  in 
his  own  denomination  which  circulates  the  Bible  with 
notes  and  comments,  (or  with  other  accompaniments, 
showing  the  sense  which  his  own  sect  puts  upon  the 
word  of  God,)  he  must  bestow  all  he  has  to  spare 
for  the  Bible  cause,  upon  that  society  ;  and  what  then 
is  left  for  him  to  give  to  the  American  Bible  Society, 
which  distributes  the  Bible  alone,  and  that  without  note 
or  comment  ?    Or  if  the  sect  to  which  the  Christian  be- 
longs has  its  tract  society,  which  contends  earnestly  for 
its  peculiar  views  and  tenets,  he  must  give  every  dollar 
he  has  to  spare  for  tracts  to  his  own  society,  and  not  a 
cent  to  the  American  Tract  Society,  which  publishes 
only  such  scriptural  truths  as  receive  the  assent  of  every 
Christian  mind  and  heart,  and  meddles  not  with  the  pecu- 
liarities of  any  division  of  Christians.    The  theory  may 
sound  very  well  when  we  address  only  those  of  our  own 
denomination,  and  forget  that  the  church  of  Christ  is 
one,  or  when  we  neglect  to  notice  that  by  our  own  rea- 
soning we  are  imposing  on  Christians  of  other  denomi- 
nations, duties  directly  opposite  to  those  we  prescribe 
for  our  own.    When  our  views  are  diverse,  there  is  error 
on  the  one  side  or  the  other.  ICmy  becoming  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  Dutch  church  imposes  on  me  the  duty 
of  supporting  a  tract  society  of  that  church,  which  holds 
the  doctrine  that  infants  ought  to  be  baptized,  and  whose 
tracts  contend  for  the  same,  your  becoming  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church  imposes  on  you  the  duty  of  sup- 
porting a  tract  society  of  that  church,  which  denies  the 
right  of  infant  baptism,  and  whose  tracts  vindicate  that 
denial ;  and  both  are  brought  under  obligation  to  give 
exclusive  support  to  his  own  society,  and  to  withhold  all 
aid  om  a  tract  society  occupying  the  ground  which  is 


163 


common  to  us  both.  We  know  not  how  there  could  be 
a  more  striking  illustration  of  the  pithy  question  of  St. 
Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  "  Is  Christ  divided  V  than  the 
opposite  duties  which  are  thus  imposed  on  Christians  by 
the  bare  circumstance  of  a  sectarian  distinction  between 
them.  One  of  them  is  in  error,  but  he  is  bound  by  the 
laws  of  sect,  to  do  all  he  can  to  defend  and  to  propagate 
his  error.  Why  ?  Because,  says  the  sectarian,  if  it  be 
an  error,  it  is  the  error  of  my  own  church.  Your  oicn 
church.  Christian  brother  ?  And  is  not  my  church  your 
church)  and  your  church  mine?  Then  is  Christ  divided 
indeed,  and  St.  Paul's  idea  of  an  indivisible  church  was 
visionary,  and  the  Saviour  spoke  words  without  meaning, 
when  he  prayed  that  his  disciples  might  be  one,  even  as 
he  and  the  Father  were  one. 

If  every  church  member  is  bound  to  do  all  he  can  for 
the  institutions  of  his  own  denomination,  upon  whom 
must  devolve  the  support  of  our  great  institutions  of  be- 
nevolence? Almost  exclusively  upon  the  impenitent 
and  unbelieving,  for  we  apprehend  there  are  but  few  be- 
lievers who  have  not  made  a  profession  of  religion.  Is 
the  Christian  public  then  prepared  to  sanction  a  doctrine 
which  tends  directly  to  the  destruction  of  these  noble 
charities,  and  thus  to  wither  the  hopes  of  the  benevolent 
in  this  hemisphere  ? 

These  institutions  have  been  further  assailed  on  the 
ground  of  their  being  mere  voluntary  associations,  not 
constituting  a  church,  and  having  therefore  no  ecclesias- 
tical responsibility.  Would  all  sects  unite,  organize  one 
church,  and,  in  their  ecclesiastical  character,  undertake 
the  distribution  of  the  Bible  and  of  religious  tracts,  sup- 
press evils,  reform  what  is  amiss,  and  convert  the  world, 
most  gladly  would  we  see  these  voluntary  associations 


164 


yield  their  places  to  a  better  organization.  But  this  wc 
do  not  expect  to  see  until  the  way  shall  have  been  pre- 
pared for  the  reunion  of  the  church,  by  the  means  which 
God  in  his  wisdom  and  goodness  may  lead  his  children 
to  adopt.  And  in  the  mean  time  we  cannot  conceive  of 
a  more  happy  scheme  to  forward  the  great  objects  of 
Christian  benevolence  than  these  voluntary  associations 
of  men  taken  from  all  the  considerable  denominations  of 
Christians.  As  Christian  men,  pursuing  Christian  ob- 
jects, they  acknowledge  and  feel  their  responsibility  to 
Christ  for  the  faithful  execudon  of  their  trust,  to  as  great 
a  degree,  certainly,  as  any  single  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians can  do.  They  feel  their  responsibility  also  to  their 
fellow  Christians,  and  to  their  own  consciences,  while 
they  recognise  the  best  of  all  standards,  the  Bible,  as 
the  rule  and  measure  of  their  responsibility.  They  have 
thus  far  given  ample  evidence  of  diligence  and  fidelity 
in  pursuit  of  their  several  objects,  and  have  not  excited 
the  suspicions  and  evil  surmisings  of  any  except  the  open 
enemies  of  religion  and  the  victims  of  sectarian  jealousy. 
What  bodies  of  men  can  there  be  in  the  present  state  of 
the  church  better  adapted  to  the  ends  to  be  attained, 
than  these  societies  1  They  have  received,  and  justly 
deserve,  a  much  greater  degree  of  confidence  from  the 
Christian  community  at  large,  than  would  any  single  de- 
nomination of  believers,  how  ecclesiastical  soever  their 
organization  may  be. 

The  conversion  of  the  world  is  a  matter  in  which  all 
Christians  have  a  common  interest ;  and  as  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  a  separate  interest  subsisting  in  different 
sects,  it  is  immaterial  which  of  them  shall  accomplish  the 
work.  Christ  will  be  entitled  to  all  the  glory,  and  the 
church  of  Christ  will  receive  the  benefit  resulting  from 


165 


its  accomplishment.  Let  then  every  Christian  banish 
the  narrow  views  of  sect,  and  embrace  in  his  affections 
the  whole  family  of  mankind.  Let  him  give  his  heart, 
his  hand,  and  his  purse,  to  the  support  of  that  stupendous 
scheme  of  benevolence,  that  has  no  limit  to  its  extension 
except  that  of  the  globe  we  inhabit,  and  which  fails  in 
its  object  so  long  as  one  of  its  inhabitants  is  unreclaimed 
from  sin  and  hell.  This  we  urge  as  one  of  the  happiest 
and  most  important  means  for  elevating  the  standard  of 
religion  in  the  church,  and  the  sure  way  of  restoring  her 
constitutional  unity.  Ministers  and  lay  Christians  will 
thus  become  workers  together,  with  God,  to  free  the 
world  from  the  dominion  of  Satan,  and  establish  the 
kingdom  in  his  hands  whose  right  it  is  to  reign  in  the 
earth.  They  will  learn  more  perfectly,  in  their  own  ex- 
perience, the  nature  and  blessedness  of  that  religion 
which  urges  and  helps  to  the  performance  of  every 
Christian  duty.  The  terrible  evils  which  afflict  the 
church  will  soon  be  removed,  the  graces  of  God's  peo- 
ple shine  forth  in  all  their  beauty,  and  the  latter  day  glory 
be  speedily  ushered  in. 

We  will  direct  a  moment's  attention  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  general  support  of  our  benevolent  institutions 
will  produce  such  wonderful  changes  in  the  character  of 
churches  and  of  individual  believers.  The  Christian 
cannot  grow  without  suitable  exercise.  His  faith  is 
strengthened  more  by  obedience,  than  by  hearing,  read- 
ing, speculation  or  meditation,  and  his  hope  becomes 
established  more  by  exercise  than  by  self-examination. 
His  humility  will  not  grow  so  much  by  abstract  reflec- 
tion, as  by  practising  the  self-denying  duties  of  the  gos- 
pel ;  and  his  selfishness  will  yield  less  readily  to  reason- 
ing on  God's  right  to  his  time,  labour,  and  property,  for 


166 


the  advancement  of  his  cause  and  the  good  of  mankind, 
than  to  actual  and  repeated  drafts  upon  his  purse,  and 
demands  on  his  time  and  labour  for  these  objects.  His 
love  to  God  will  increase  as  he  is  ministering  to  the  tem- 
poral and  everlasting  wants  of  the  creatures  of  His  hand, 
and  his  love  to  mankind  will  grow  warmer  in  his  bosom 
as  he  witnesses  their  necessities,  and  employs  the  means 
to  relieve  them.  A  sense  of  his  own  unworthiness  and 
insufficiency  will  then  only  grow  upon  him,  when  he  shall 
in  earnest  set  about  the  performance  of  every  required 
duty.  It  is  in  vain  to  exhort  men  to  grow  in  grace  and 
the  knowledge  of  Christ,  unless  the  Christian  graces  are 
kept  in  constant  exercise.  Every  Christian  must  have 
actual  work  assigned  him.  There  is  something  for  every 
one  to  do  for  the  benefit  of  others,  and  then  it  will  be 
found,  as  surely  as  the  word  of  God  is  true,  that  while 
he  is  watering  others,  he  will  himself  be  watered  in  his 
turn. 

Were  every  congregation,  as  it  might  be,  an  efficient 
auxiliary  to  the  Bible  Society,  there  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty to  ascertain  who  are  destitute  of  the  Bible  at  home, 
or  to  supply  them  with  it ;  and  how  easy  would  it  then 
be  to  awaken  attention  to  the  destitute  in  other  places, 
and  secure  the  feelings  and  contributions  of  Christians 
to  the  parent  Society,  and  enable  them  to  send  the  bread 
of  life  to  the  destitute  in  every  part  of  the  world  who  are 
perishing  for  want  of  it.  Were  every  congregation  an 
efficient  Tract  Society,  the  same  results  would  follow  in 
regard  to  that  blessed  charity,  in  the  circulation  of  tracts. 
Many  hands  would  be  profitably  employed  in  distribut- 
ing them  ;  and  all  whose  hearts  can  feel  would  cheer- 
fully contribute  their  share  to  furnish  a  supply  at  home 
and  abroad.    In  Uke  manner  might  every  church  sus- 


167 


tain  its  part  in  the  missionary  enterprise,  learning  at  the 
same  time  to  appreciate  more  adequately  the  value  of 
the  blessing  which  they  themselves  enjoy,  by  the  very 
employment  of  spending  their  time,  money,  and  pains, 
in  sending  it  to  others.    Every  congregation  might  and 
ought  also  to  perform  its  share  in  educating  the  pious 
poor,  to  prepare  them  to  preach  the  gospel,  since  the 
harvest  is  truly  great  and  the  labourers  few  ;  and  to  im- 
part to  all  the  children  the  benefits  of  Sabbath  school 
instruction.    The  cause  of  seamen  and  of  prisons,  as 
well  as  the  cause  of  temperance,  ought  also  to  have  se- 
cured for  them  a  warm  reception  in  every  church.  At- 
tention to  these  various  objects,  and  to  every  benevolent 
work  that  may  present  itself,  would  furnish  employment 
to  many  professors  of  religion  who  are  now  sitting  idle, 
and  rusting  under  their  accustomed  means  of  grace, 
wrapped  up  in  self,  pursuing  the  world  as  though  it  were 
the  sole  object  of  their  desire,  and  disgracing,  instead  of 
adorning,  the  profession  of  godliness.    All  this  is  prac- 
ticable too  ;  and  those  ministers  and  church  officers  who 
have  made  the  experiment  will  admit  and  rejoice  in  tes- 
tifying that  in  proportion  to  their  faithfulness  in  promot- 
ing these  glorious  charities,  all  the  concerns  and  interests 
of  the  individual  congregation  have  become  more  pros- 
perous ;  the  minister  has  been  more  esteemed  and  bet- 
ter sustained  in  all  things  ;  peace  and  brotherly  love  have 
been  promoted,  and  all  the  Christian  graces  brought  into 
lively  and  profitable  exercise.  The  few  churches  which 
are  actively  engaged  in  the  support  of  these  charities, 
have  to  sustain  a  severe  struggle  in  resisting  the  worldly 
and  sectarian  influences  of  those  which  surround  them, 
and  partake  not  of  the  same  spirit.    Oh  !  could  our  mi- 
nisters and  congregations  once  hold  up  each  other's 


168 


hands,  and  stimulate  each  other  to  still  greater  exertions 
for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of  mankind,  instead 
of  pursuing  a  course  which  tends  to  lower  the  standard 
of  religion  wherever  the  attempt  is  made  to  elevate  it, 
what  blessed  and  abundant  fruits  of  the  Spirit  should  we 
not  witness  in  the  church  of  Christ! 

But  all  this  is  not  to  be  effected  by  the  bare  formation 
of  auxiliary  societies,  and  an  occasional,  timid  address. 
As  much  pains  at  least  ought  to  be  taken  to  indoctrinate 
Christian  disciples  into  these  matters  of  important,  iodis- 
pensable  duty,  as  it  has  been  customary  to  take  in  order 
to  shape  them  into  the  belief  of  abstract,  speculative, 
controverted  articles  of  faith.    It  appears  to  us  that  the 
duty  of  supporting  our  benevolent  charities,  all  aiming  at 
and  tending  to  the  conversion  of  the  world,  is  at  this  day 
as  plain  as  the  duty  to  love  our  neighbour,  to  clothe  the 
naked,  and  feed  the  hungry  ;  and  the  reason  why  they 
are  not  generally  understood  is,  that  the  public  teachers 
of  religion  do  not  enforce  them  upon  the  consciences  of 
their  hearers  with  earnestness  and  perseverance.    It  is 
seldom  that  our  congregations  are  reminded  that  there 
is  a  world  lying  in  the  darkness  of  heathenism,  Maho- 
metanism,  and  popery,  and  that  every  Christian  is  bound 
to  do  his  part  in  converting  the  world.    In  many  places 
the  subject  perhaps  is  never  mentioned,  except  to  the 
small  numbers  assembled  at  the  monthly  concert.  The 
minister  either  wishes  not  or  dares  not  to  inculcate  it  as 
a  duty  upon  his  parishioners,  to  bestow  their  money 
upon  any  objects  without  the  limits  of  their  own  congre- 
gation ;  and  if  that  duty  is  pressed  at  all,  it  is  by  the 
agent  of  some  society,  who,  when  he  attempts  the  task, 
soon  finds  that  he  is  addressing  ears  unaccustomed  to 
such  sounds,  and  appealing  to  hearts  unprepared  to  re- 


ceive  his  doctrines  or  answer  to  his  calls.  Even  the 
minister  who  feels  no  opposition  to  benevolent  associa- 
tions excuses  himself  from  advocating  their  claims,  on 
the  ground  that  they  have  their  agents,  whose  superior 
knowledge  and  skill  in  their  respective  agencies  enables 
them  to  solicit  contributions  to  better  advantage  than  the 
pastor  of  the  congregation.  But  herein  an  important 
matter  is  forgotten.  The  agent  has  not  time  in  any 
place  to  give  much  instruction.  He  may  and  does  state 
facts,  and  adduce  reasons  ;  but  to  warrant  the  expecta- 
tion of  success,  he  ought  to  have  the  advantage  of  ap- 
pealing more  to  facts  already  known,  and  to  feelings 
previously  formed,  than  to  facts  disclosed  and  feelings 
to  be  formed  at  the  time.  In  other  words,  he  cannot  at 
the  moment  give  consciences  to  his  hearers,  but  must 
address  himself  to  consciences  already  formed,  or  he  ap- 
peals for  the  most  part  in  vain.  The  consequence  of 
the  neglect  of  this  duty  on  the  part  of  the  pastor  is,  that 
agents  generally  receive  contributions  only  from  those 
individuals  whose  minds  are  prepared  to  give,  by  infor- 
mation received  through  the  medium  of  the  press.  This 
is  well  understood  by  the  agents,  and  for  that  reason  they 
seldom  think  of  troubling  the  minister  to  call  a  meeting 
of  his  people,  and  content  themselves  with  presenting 
their  object  to  those  few  who  receive  the  religious  pa- 
pers, or  who  may  be  known  to  be  favourably  disposed. 

This  is  not  as  it  should  be.  The  expense  and  labour, 
or  rather  the  profit  and  pleasure  of  supporting  these 
blessed  charities,  ought  not  to  be  borne  and  enjoyed  by 
a  small  number  of  the  professed  followers  of  Christ, 
while  the  rest  are  left  to  pursue  the  business  of  the 
world,  as  if  that  were  the  only  thing  needful.  The  doc- 
trine that  what  we  contribute  towards  benevolent  objects 
15 


170 


is  but  a  portion  of  God's  own  property,  lent  to  us  for  the 
very  purpose  of  doing  good  therewith,  and  lhat  it  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,  can  be  made  familiar 
to  every  Christian  mind.  Every  individual,  before  he 
thinks  of  being  received  into  the  church,  ought  to  under- 
stand it  to  be  his  duty,  as  it  is  his  privilege  and  his  ho- 
nour, to  bear  his  part  in  propagating  the  gospel.  But 
how  few  of  our  churches  would  venture  to  inquire  of  an 
applicant  for  church-membership,  whether  he  is  in  the 
practice  of  contributing  his  time,  money,  or  labour,  to 
send  the  Bible,  the  tract,  or  the  gospel,  to  the  destitute, 
or  to  aid  the  other  benevolent  societies  of  the  day.  Such 
questions  would  by  most  be  deemed  imprudent  or  im- 
pertinent, merely  because  the  duty  is  not  inculcated  in 
the  catechism  or  from  the  pulpit,  or  in  pastoral  visits. 
Why  is  it  not?  Because  the  command  to  Christians  to 
convert  the  world  has  been  thrown  aside  as  a  dead  letter, 
ever  since  the  reign  of  sect  has  been  established.  The 
broken  church  has  aimed  no  further  than  to  sustain  the 
ordinances  of  religion  at  home,  and  has  not  been  dis- 
t\irbed  by  the  wailings  of  the  millions  that  have  annually 
dropped  into  the  lake  whose  fire  is  never  quenched. 

We  are  aware  that  the  want  of  time  is  often  pleaded 
as  an  excuse,  even  by  those  ministers  of  the  gospel  who 
appear  favourably  disposed  towards  the  charitable  insti* 
tutions  of  the  day.  Much  time  would  be  saved  by  many 
of  our  spiritual  teachers  if  they  should  pay  less  attention 
to  speculative  and  polemical  theology ;  and  avoid  the 
discussion  of  those  points  which  have  torn  the  church 
into  fragments,  without  any  adequate  compensation. 
We  admit  that  so  long  as  the  duty  of  supporting  these 
charities  does  not  press  itself  on  the  conscience  of  the 
pastor  himself,  it  may  cost  him  much  time  and  labour  to 


171 


argue  the  matter  forcibly  with  his  people  ;  and  where  his 
zeal  is  checked  by  the  fear  of  giving  offence  to  his  hear- 
ers or  others,  it  may  be  difficult  for  him  so  to  urge  the 
duty  as  to  impel  to  action  and  at  the  same  time  to  avoid 
giving  offence.  But  it  cannot  cost  the  herald  of  the 
cross,  who  fears  God  more  than  men,  whose  soul  is  bur- 
dened with  the  weight  and  value  of  immortal  souls  per- 
ishing by  millions  for  lack  of  vision,  much  time  or  labour 
to  demonstrate  the  duty  of  every  Christian  to  give  his 
aid  to  save  his  fellow-immortals,  and  to  show  the  advan- 
tages, in  a  temporal  and  spiritual  view,  of  giving  their 
assistance  in  every  work  of  benevolence.  Although 
there  are  many  objects  of  Christian  exertion,  and  to  some 
the  care  of  one  of  them  may  be  more  than  he  is  willing 
to  assume,  yet  whoever  makes  the  trial  and  shall  have 
taken  under  his  care  every  one  of  these  charities,  will 
find  what  is  experienced  by  every  father  of  a  family  who 
puts  his  trust  in  God,  that  as  his  children  increase,  the 
means  and  facilities  of  maintaining  them  are  multiplied  ; 
and  that  however  numerous  they  become,  not  one  of 
them  can  be  spared.  While  indeed  we  regard  these 
charities  as  strangers,  the  support  of  them  will  be  bur- 
densome ;  but  as  soon  as  you  receive  them  into  your 
bosom  and  dwelling  it  will  constitute  your  pleasure  to 
provide  for  them  all. 

YII.  Let  us  return  to  the  'primitive  mode  of  reading 
the  Scriptures. 

To  prepare  the  way  for  the  abolition  of  sect,  it  is  in- 
dispensably necessary  that  we  read  the  Holy  Scriptures 
as  they  were  read  in  the  primitive  ages  of  Christianity. 
The  constant  and  prayerful  reading  of  the  Bible,  and 
the  whole  of  the  Bible,  is  the  principal  means  of  preserv- 
ing an  harmonious  faith  among  believers.    In  the  pre- 


172 


sent  condition  of  the  church,  we  have  as  many  standards 
of  doctrinal  belief  as  there  are  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians ;  and  so  long  as  the  present  idolatrous  attachment 
to  these  human  standards  continues,  Christians  must 
always  remain  divided  in  sentiment  and  action.  They 
cannot  read  the  Bible  in  simplicity,  because  they  read 
it  in  the  light  of  the  standards  of  the  church  of  which 
they  are  members  ;  and  differing  as  those  standards  do 
from  one  another,  what  is  light  to  a  Christian  of  one  de- 
nomination, is  darkness  to  his  brother  of  another  deno- 
mination. It  was  not  so  in  the  primitive  ages  of  the 
church.  They  allowed  no  other  standard  of  faith  or 
practice  than  the  inspired  writings  ;  and  the  Reformers 
who  had  been  taught  of  God  the  sufficiency  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, under  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  enlighten 
and  sanctify  the  Christian,  believed  "  that  the  doctrine 
of  the  Bible  is  most  perfect  and  complete,"  and  being 
fully  persuaded  of  the  fallacy  of  the  popish  doctrine  of 
the  rule  of  faith  and  judge  of  controversy,  they  taught 
that  "neither  may  we  compare  any  writings  of  men, 
though  ever  so  holy,  with  those  divine  Scriptures  ;  nor 
ought  we  to  compare  custom,  or  the  great  multitude,  or 
antiquity,  or  succession  of  times,  or  persons,  or  coun- 
cils, decrees,  or  statutes,  with  the  truth  of  God,  for 
the  truth  is  above  all ;  for  all  men  are  of  themselves 
hars,  and  more  vain  than  vanity  itself." 

This  is  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  dictates  of 
sound  reason,  and  is  sanctioned  by  the  Saviour  himself. 
How  solicitous  was  he  to  guard  his  disciples  against  re- 
ceiving for  doctrines  the  commandments  of  men,  and 
listening  to  the  traditions  of  the  scribes  and  elders !  Did 
he  not  forbid  his  disciples  to  call  any  man  their  master, 
on  the  ground  that  they  had  but  one  master  in  heaven  ? 


173 


He  alone  has  the  authority  and  wisdom  to  govern  the 
judgement  of  his  rational  creatures.  We  may  not  call 
any  man  or  body  of  men  our  masters,  and  it  is  the  pri- 
vilege, as  it  is  the  duty  of  every  Christian,  to  exercise 
his  own  understanding  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. He  must  indeed  humbly  seek  to  have  his  under- 
standing enlightened  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  he  will  be 
sure  to  err.  But  God  has  pledged  his  veracity  to  give 
wisdom  to  every  humble  inquirer  who  seeks  instruction 
from  him,  while  he  has  nowhere  promised  that  those 
shall  become  wise  who  learn  upon  their  own  under- 
standing, or  upon  the  understanding  of  ministers,  fa- 
thers, or  ecclesiastical  councils.  "  They  shall  be  all 
taught  of  God."  Not  some  taught  of  God,  and  the  rest 
by  them  ;  but  every  one  shall  have  his  teaching  imme- 
diately from  God.  "  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let  him 
ask  of  God."  Whoever  feels  his  lack  of  wisdom,  is  not 
only  permitted,  but  commanded  to  ask  of  G  od,  and  the 
promise  follows  that  "he  giveth  liberally  unto  all."  He 
must  ask  of  God,  not  of  the  church,  or  human  creeds  ; 
not  of  God  through  the  medium  of  the  church,  or  any 
confession  of  faith,  but  immediately  of  God,  and  the 
promise  is  of  a  personal  teaching  by  God  himself, 
through  the  Scriptures. 

If  divine  teaching  be  necessary,  it  is  our  duty  to  give 
up  ourselves  wholly  to  it.  We  must  be  willing  and  de- 
sirous to  receive  what  light  the  Spirit  offers  to  our  minds. 
The  Spirit  teaches  "  through  the  word,"  not  contrary  to 
it ;  nor  does  he  make  any  new  revelation  beyond  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  indispensable  that  a  man,  when  he 
gives  up  himself  to  divine  teaching,  and  ever  after, 
should  be  willing  to  yield  preconceived  notions  and  ' 
opinions.  He  must  become  like  a  little  child,  feeling  bis 
15* 


174 


ignorance,  believe  that  his  Father  knows  all  things,  and 
is  willing  to  instruct  him  and  to  guide  him  into  all  truth. 
Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  by  yielding  himself  to  the 
teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  word  of  God,  the 
Christian  will  expose  himself  to  be  tossed  about  with 
every  wind  of  doctrine.    If  it  were  quite  uncertain 
whether  God  is  willing  to  teach  the  humble  inquirer,  or 
whether  he  will  teach  any  thing  but  the  truth,  there 
might  be  some  ground  for  the  apprehension  ;  now  there 
is  none.    Where  then  is  the  danger?    Why  a  man  may 
mistake  his  own  fancies,  or  the  dreams  of  another,  for 
the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  truth?    So  he  may, 
and  he  ought  to  be  the  more  earnest  in  his  prayer  to  be 
delivered  from  all  delusion  and  error.    But  can  there  be 
a  better  or  more  certain  way  of  attaining  to  the  truth, 
and  holding  it  fast,  than  God  himself  has  pointed  out  in 
his  own  word  ?    And  why  must  a  man  w  ho  yields  him- 
self to  the  teaching  of  the  God  of  truth,  be  tossed  about 
with  every  wind  of  doctrine  ?  Is  the  Bible  so  obscure  and 
contradictory,  as  that  men,  without  a  human  standard 
of  interpretation,  must  needs  be  groping  in  the  dark,  re- 
main unsettled,  and  be  the  sport  of  every  wind  that 
blows  ?    The  danger  of  such  a  result  arises  from  man's 
natural  lack  of  wisdom  and  holiness ;  and  what  better 
means  can  a  man  employ  to  become  holy  and  wise,  than 
by  yielding  himself  to  the  guidance  and  teaching  of  the 
Spirit  of  holiness  and  wisdom  ?    Once  more :  What 
have  they  to  establish  them  in  the  faith,  who  are  fearful 
of  being  deceived,  should  they  yield  themselves  to  the 
teachings  of  the  Spirit  1    Nothing,  but  the  opinions  of 
fallible  men. 

The  objector  may  ask.  Are  there  then  no  truths  of  reli- 
gion which  may  be  considered  as  settled  ?   Yes,  there  are 


175 


many  ;  indeed  evej'y  truth  taught  in  the  Bible  is  settled 
and  fixed,  even  as  God  has  declared  it.  Some  points 
of  doctrine  are  to  be  found  in  all  creeds  and  confessions 
of  faith  which  Christians  in  general  are  agreed  in  receiv- 
ing as  true.  This  fact  we  may  regard  as  affording  pri- 
ma facie  evidence  of  the  accordance  of  those  doctrines 
with  the  oracles  of  God.  But  as  to  those  doctrines, 
stated  in  the  creeds  of  man's  formation,  upon  which 
Christians  differ,  and  on  which  the  wise  and  the  good  are 
opposed  to  each  other,  how  can  they  be  deemed,  by 
any  portion  of  the  church,  as  settled,  except  in  the  per- 
sonal conviction  of  the  individuals  concerned.  These 
points  have  never  been  adjudicated  by  a  lawful  judge  of 
controversy.  A  council  of  Presbyterians,  all  will  ad-  , 
mit,  is  not  a  lawful  judge  of  controversy  to  bind  an  Epis- 
copalian ;  nor  is  a  council  of  Calvinists  competetent  to 
bind  Arminians.  Even  among  those  who  belong  to  the 
same  church,  there  is  no  lawful  judge  of  controversy  to 
determine  any  point  of  dispute  on  matters  of  religious 
belief.  One  man  or  a  hundred  men  cannot  believe  for 
an  individual  of  the  same  church.  Each  man  must 
believe  for  himself;  and  as  he  is  responsible  to  God  for 
the  correctness  of  his  faith,  he  may  not  rest  his  belief 
on  the  opinion  or  adjudication  of  any  man  or  body  of 
men  on  earth.  This  principle  does  not  subvert  the  right 
of  a  church  to  deny  admission,  or  to  expel  from  its  com- 
munion those  men  who  deny  the  faith  once  delivered  to 
the  saints,  and  embrace  damnable  heresies.  We  speak 
only  of  those  matters  upon  which  it  is  admitted  that  the 
wise  and  the  good  among  the  children  of  God  hold  dif- 
ferent sentiments ;  and  in  reference  to  them,  we  aver 
that  there  is  not  even  prima  facie  evidence  which  of  the 
discordant  opinions  is  correct,  and  of  course  every  man 
must  believe  upon  the  strength  of  his  own  conviction. 


176 


It  is  only  by  returning  to  the  primitive  practice  of 

searching  the  Scriptures,  with  reliance  on  the  teaching 
of  God  alone,  that  the  watchmen  shall  ever  "  see  eye  to 
eye."  Under  the  prevalence  of  party  pride,  it  is  a  point 
of  honour  among  the  contending  sects  which  shall  yield 
any  portion  of  their  opinions.  Each  adheres  to  his  own, 
and  of  course,  one  or  other  must  be  perverting  the 
Scriptures,  to  sustain  their  discordant  creeds.  The 
Holy  Spirit  alone  can  give  men  to  feel  the  necessity  of 
sitting  more  loose  to  their  respective  tenets.  He  cein 
make  them  willing  to  stand  still,  throw  aside  all  animo- 
sity, all  pride  of  opinion,  all  desire  of  maintaining  the 
mastery,  and  with  ingenuous  hearts  to  inquire  "  What 
does  the  word  of  God  teach  ?"  He  can  incline  them  to 
believe  that  on  some  points  of  difference,  their  adversa- 
ries may,  after  all,  be  right.  He  can  breathe  upon  his 
children  the  fulness  of  his  influence,  and  inspire  them 
with  that  freedom  of  soul,  which  will  enable  them  to  re- 
joice in  prospect  of  the  triumph  of  truth,  whether  the 
result  of  that  triumph  be  the  establishment  or  the  refuta- 
tion of  their  own  opinions.  Then  free  and  candid  dis- 
cussion, in  the  spirit  of  truth  and  meekness,  will  lake 
place  of  proud  and  bitter  controversy,  and  will  be  blessed 
to  the  increase  of  light,  holiness,  and  love. 

The  effects  resulting  from  the  general  and  constant 
reading  of  the  Bible,  the  whole  Bible,  freed  from  the 
partialities  of  sect,  and  with  humble  prayer  for  the  en- 
lightening and  sanctifying  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
will  not  only  melt  away  the  shibboleths  of  party,  but  will 
bring  to  the  view  of  Christians  the  indispensable  impor- 
tance of  being  constantly  employed  in  the  active,  self- 
denying,  and  benevolent  duties  of  Christianity.  Every 
important  truth  and  duty  will  thus  be  brought  to  the 


177 


mind  and  contemplation  of  ministers  and  private  Chris- 
tians, as  every  part  of  the  Scriptures  shall  be  read  in 
course  by  them,  and  studied.  Had  this  been  the  general 
practice  in  ages  past,  the  evils  which  now  oppress  the 
church  of  Christ,  could  never  have  attained  their  present 
magnitude,  nor  have  been  of  long  continuance.  The 
Bible  contains  within  itself  the  means  of  keeping  the 
church  free  from  corruptions,  and  of  purifying  her  from 
them,  when  they  have  been  permitted  to  come  upon  her. 
Of  this  truth  the  adversary  is  fully  aware,  and  he  exerts 
his  utmost  skill  to  keep  the  Bible  from  those  who  have 
it  not,  and  to  keep  those  who  have  it  from  the  constant, 
prayerful  reading  of  its  precious  contents.  He  has  in- 
stigated the  papal  church  to  withhold  the  Scriptures  from 
the  laity,  and  virtually  to  lock  it  up  from  the  eyes  of  the 
priesthood.  He  has  been  too  successful  in  our  divided 
protestant  church,  to  turn  the  attention  of  Christians 
from  the  simple  reading  of  the  Bible,  under  the  teaching 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  our  creeds,  confessions  of  faith, 
systems  of  theology,  sectarian  commentaries,  and  me- 
taphysical speculations,  to  the  subversion  of  the  pure 
faith  and  practice  of  the  gospel. 

We  beg  leave  to  close  this  head  with  an  extract  from 
a  late  work.  "  The  study  of  the  Scriptures,  in  their  na- 
tive simplicity,  and  without  the  intermixture  of  the  tech- 
nical language  of  theologians,  and  of  party  opinions, 
would  be  of  vast  importance  in  religion.  It  would  con- 
vince the  unbiassed  inquirer  how  little  foundation  there 
is  in  the  Scriptures  themselves,  for  many  of  those  dis- 
putes about  metaphysical  dogmas  which  have  rent  the 
Christian  world  into  a  number  of  shreds  and  patches, 
and  produce  jealousy  and  animosity,  where  love  and 
affection  should  have  appeared  predominant.   He  would 


178 


soon  be  enabled  to  perceive  that  the  system  of  revela- 
tion chiefly  consists  of  a  series  of  imporant  facts,  con- 
nected with  the  dispensations  of  God  towards  our  race, 
and  interwoven  with  a  variety  of  practical  and  interest- 
ing truths,  and  that  the  grand  design  of  the  whole  is  to 
counteract  the  effects  of  moral  evil,  to  display  the  true 
character  of  Deity,  to  promote  love  to  God  and  man,  to 
inculcate  the  practice  of  every  heavenly  virtue,  and  to 
form  mankind  into  one  harmonious  and  affectionate  so- 
ciety. He  would  find  none  of  the  technical  terms  and 
phraseology  which  the  schoolmen  and  others  have  intro- 
duced into  their  systems  of  theology,  nor  any  of  those 
anathemas  which  one  sectary  has  so  frequently  levelled 
at  another,  applied  to  any  one,  excepting  to  those  who 
do  not  love  our  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity." 

VIII.  Let  Christians  cherish  the  spirit  of  prayer,  ap- 
propriate to  the  exigency  of  the  times. 

We  specify  only  one  more  of  the  means  we  advise  to 
be  pursued,  in  order  to  bring  about  the  reunion  of  the 
church ;  and  that  is  to  cherish  the  spirit  of  prayer,  not 
merely  in  the  general  sense  of  the  expression,  but  of 
prayer  particularly  appropriate  to  the  time  in  which  we 
live.  One  of  these  appropriate  subjects  of  prayer,  ob- 
viously is,  that  the  contention  in  the  church  may  cease, 
and  that  the  intercessory  prayer  of  the  Saviour,  that  his 
disciples  may  all  be  one,  may  be  speedily  answered,  in 
the  prevalence  of  brotherly  love  and  unity.  As  the 
means  of  accomplishing  this  result,  we  should  pray  most 
importunately  that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  may  send 
forth  labourers,  competent  labourers  into  his  harvest. 

The  church  is  at  the  present  time  in  the  most  urgent 
need  of  a  more  devoted  and  efficient  ministry  of  the  gos- 


179 


pel,  and  much  progress  will  not  be  made  without  a  sup- 
ply of  this  deficiency.  So  long  as  the  teachers  of  God's 
people  continue  to  cherish  the  narrow  views  and  feelings 
of  sect,  how  can  it  be  expected  that  their  hearers  will 
expand  their  minds'to  embrace  the  noble  scheme  of  con- 
verting the  world  ?  So  long  as  the  minister  does  not 
take  a  lively  interest  in  the  benevolent  enterprises  of  the 
day,  and  exert  himself  to  awaken  the  same  interest 
among  his  people,  how  can  it  be  expected  that  Christians 
as  a  body  will  give  their  contributions  or  their  prayers  to 
the  cause  of  evangelizing  the  nations  in  darkness  ?  So 
long  as  our  young  men  in  the  ministry  "  seek  first"  a 
place  of  comfort  and  ease  in  which  to  serve  their  Mas- 
ter, how  can  we  expect  the  laity  to  become  self-denying 
Christians,  living  above  the  world,  and  devoting  all  they 
have  to  the  promotion  of  Christ's  kingdom  1  Much  as 
we  want  men,  yea,  great  numbers  of  men  to  preach  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  we  verily  believe  that  the  church  will 
be  profited  if  our  youth,  before  they  enter  upon  the  min- 
istry, would  seriously  and  deliberately  count  the  cost  of 
assuming  the  work  of  the  Lord,  while  destitute  of  the 
zeal  and  self-denial  of  Paul,  of  Brainerd,  of  Martyn,  and 
of  GutzlafF.  For  though  all  may  not  be  wanted  as  mis- 
sionaries, all  need  to  have  the  spirit  of  missions  to  an- 
swer the  just  expectations  of  Christ  and  his  church.  The 
field  of  labour  is  the  world,  and  no  minister  of  the  gospel 
is  excusable  for  not  having  at  all  times  a  map  of  the 
world  in  his  eye,  and  for  not  being  in  the  constant  habit 
of  exhibiting  it  to  the  people  of  his  charge.  There  oiight 
not  to  be  a  Christian  ignorant  of  the  monthly  concert  of 
prayer,  nor  of  the  progress  of  foreign  and  domestic  mis- 
sions, nor  of  the  destitute  condition  of  the  world  in  regard 
to  Bibles  and  tracts,  nor  of  what  is  doing  to  afford  the 


180 


requisite  supply.  All  ought  to  be  well  informed  of  the 
need  of  raising  up  more  labourers  for  the  harvest,  and 
what  is  done  toward  that  object  by  means  of  education 
societies  and  Sabbath  schools.  Every  Christian  ought, 
in  short,  to  be  acquainted  with  the  moral  wants  of  the 
world,  and  of  the  whole  system  of  means  for  supplying 
those  wants.  And  how  shall  all  this  be  done  where  the 
bosom  of  the  minister  does  not  burn  to  advance  the  in- 
terests of  Christ's  kingdom,  not  merely  within  the  nar- 
row bounds  of  his  own  parish,  but  throughout  the  whole 
earth  1 

To  be  an  approved  minister  of  Christ  at  the  present 
time,  a  man  must  be  constantly  awake  and  active,  keep- 
ing his  eye  without  winking  upon  the  great,  noble,  and 
absorbing  object  of  converting  the  whole  world  to  the 
faith  and  obedience  of  Christ.  Such  a  man  in  every 
congregation  would  unite  the  hearts  and  efforts  of  Chris- 
tians in  the  common  cause  of  religion.  We  should  not 
then  witness  a  small  number,  but  a  great  assembly,  at 
every  monthly  concert  for  prayer  for  the  success  of  the 
gospel.  Instead  of  cents  we  should  see  dollars  poured 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord.  Instead  of  a  few  Christians 
who  pray  and  give  for  the  conversion  of  the  nations,  we 
should  see  the  whole  body  united  as  much,  certainly,  £is 
they  are  now  united  in  praying  and  contributing  for  the 
support  of  the  gospel  at  home.  We  should  not  then  see 
whole  congregations  where  it  is  scarcely  known  what 
the  monthly  concert  on  the  first  or  second  Monday  in 
every  month  means,  and  where  the  concert  of  prayer  for 
colleges  has  never  been  observed,  or  where  the  cause  of 
seamen  is  never  mentioned  ;  in  a  word,  where  the  affec- 
tions, exertions,  and  contributions  of  the  people  are,  with 
the  exception  of  perhaps  a  few  individuals,  exclusively 


181 


directed  to  the  petty  concerns  of  their  own  parish,  or  at 
most  to  the  relations  of  their  own  sect.  Ho  .v  can  we 
expect  a  blessing  on  the  church,  how  can  we  hope  that 
the  great  work  of  evangelizing  the  world,  can  ever  be 
accomplished  under  such  circumstances  ?  God  requires, 
and  he  will  have,  the  united  prayers  and  efforts  of  his 
people  for  this  object,  before  he  will  bring  it  to  pass. 
However  signally  he  may  heretofore  have  answered  the 
prayers  of  a  few  where  those  of  multitudes  ought  to  have 
ascended  to  him,  we  cannot  reasonably  expect  the  cause 
of  universal  religion  at  this  day  to  flourish  without  the 
united  prayers  of  God's  people.  There  is  too  much  light 
abroad  on  this  subject  to  admit  the  belief  that  God  will 
wink  at  the  gross  neglect  of  his  ministers  in  giving  the 
needful  information,  arousing  the  feelings  and  drawing 
forth  the  prayers  of  their  parishioners  for  the  universal 
prevalence  of  religion,  as  though  it  were  a  time  of  igno- 
rance. No,  the  presses  of  the  country  are  teeming  with 
books,  pamphlets,  newspapers,  and  tracts,  which  are 
pouring  upon  us  a  flood  of  light,  which  cannot  but  be 
seen  by  all  who  will  open  their  eyes  to  behold  it.  At  all 
events  the  faithful  watchman  upon  the  walls  of  Zion  can- 
not plead  ignorance,  whatever  may  be  pleaded  by  the 
people  of  his  charge.  It  is  only  for  the  minister  of  Christ 
to  exhibit  to  the  people  the  light  which  is,  so  to  speak, 
forced  upon  his  vision,  to  enable  them  to  see  and  feel  it 
to  be  their  duty  and  privilege  to  have  their  prayers  and 
their  alms  come  up  for  a  memorial  before  God,  that  he 
may  fill  the  earth  with  his  salvation  and  his  glory. 

We  live  in  a  day  of  excitability.  The  wonderful  events 
which  have  transpire'd,  and  are  still  transpiring  before  us 
in  rapid  succession,  have  awakened  and  are  keeping 
alive  the  disposition  to  attend  to  those  subjects  which 
16 


182 


may  be  submitted  to  the  minds  of  the  people.  There 
seems  to  be  life  infused  into  every  thing,  except  those 
subjects  which  are  of  the  greatest  magnitude,  and  of  the 
most  immediate  necessity.  There  is  life  even  in  these 
matters,  but  it  is  only  among  a  few ;  it  is  not  diffused 
through  the  body  of  Christians.  The  externals  of  reli- 
gion are  receiving  an  attention  unwonted  in  former  days. 
The  erection  of  places  of  worship,  attendance  upon  the 
public  ordinances  of  Christianity,  and  outward  respect 
for  religion,  seem  in  some  measure  to  keep  pace  with 
the  increased  interest  which  is  perceptible  among  men 
in  regard  to  other  subjects  of  attention ;  but  as  to  the 
true  nature  of  a  church,  and  the  design  of  God  in  estab- 
lishing it,  and  the  appropriate  self-denying  duties  of 
Christianity,  the  professed  worshippers  of  God  seem  still 
to  be  buried  in  the  deep  slumber  which  the  dominion  of 
sect  has  cast  upon  them.  How  shall  the  people  awake 
while  the  watchmen  are  asleep,  and  forbear  to  sound  the 
trumpet,  showing  the  people  what  God  requires  of  them 
in  this  day  and  generation  ? 

Oh,  how  much  reason,  then,  have  we  to  cherish  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  and  especially  that  God  would  bless  his 
church  w  ith  a  more  devoted  and  efficient  ministry  of  the 
gospel,  to  the  end  that  a  holy  light  and  influence  may  be 
diffused  through  the  church,  and  hasten  the  restoration 
of  primitive  love,  unity,  and  holiness  ! 


183 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


OF    THE   OPERATION    AND    RESULT   OF  THE 
MEANS    TO    BE  EMPLOYED. 


Some  endeavour  has  already  been  made  to  show  the 
tendency  of  the  means  recommended  in  the  two  preced- 
ing chapters,  to  bring  about  the  avowed  object  of  this 
work.  This  topic,  however,  seems  to  deserve  a  more 
particular  consideration,  and  a  more  connected  view ; 
and  we  shall  endeavour  to  do  it  as  succinctly  as  a  dis- 
tinct expression  of  our  views  will  permit. 

It  may  be  apprehended  by  some  that  the  proposal 
made  to  heal  the  dissensions  in  the  church,  will  produce 
more  distraction  and  mischief  than  will  be  prevented  by 
it.  We  admit  that  a  naked  proposal  to  abolish  sects, 
without  pointing  out  the  manner  and  means  of  effecting 
it,  might  occasion  great  detriment  instead  of  profit,  and 
confusion  instead  of  order.  Some  men  of  corrupt  minds, 
loving  distinction  or  lucre  more  than  the  religion  of  the 
Bible,  on  perceiving  a  growing  inclination  among  Chris- 
tians to  forget  their  past  differences,  may  regard  it  as  a 


184 


favourable  occasion  to  form  a  new  party  in  the  church, 

to  be  composed  of  all  sects,  and  thus  add  another  to 
the  many  denominations  already  existing.  Or  a  like 
unfortunate  step  might  be  taken  by  some  of  the  real 
friends  of  religion,  possessing  more  of  zeal  than  of  pru- 
dence. Such  men,  convinced  of  the  evils  of  division, 
and  not  apprized  of  the  necessity  of  labour  and  pains  to 
prepare  the  minds  of  men  for  so  great  a  revolution  in 
their  opinions,  habits,  and  practices,  might  hastily  pro- 
pose the  formation  of  churches  to  embrace  all  who  love 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity. 

Such  measures  as  these  we  sincerely  deprecate.  No 
good,  but  much  detriment,  would  result  from  them.  Any 
movement  towards  amalgamation,  before  a  great  change 
shall  have  been  effected  in  the  feelings  of  the  different 
parties,  would  but  produce  an  order  of  professed  believ- 
ers of  the  same  description  with  those  Corinthians  who 
affirmed  that  they  were  of  Christ,  and  whom  the  apostle 
reproves  as  schismatics,  equally  with  those  who  profess- 
ed to  be  the  followers  of  Paul,  of  ApoUos,  and  Cephas. 
The  whole  scheme  of  restoring  the  unity  of  the  church, 
if  not  entirely  defeated,  would  be  greatly  retarded.  That 
such  evils  may  result  from  the  attempt  we  propose,  to 
form  a  union  of  Christians,  constitutes  no  objection  to 
the  plan  itself.  No  reformation  or  enterprise  of  any 
kind  is  or  can  be  free  from  the  danger  of  being  impeded, 
and  even  thwarted,  by  the  precipitancy  of  zealots,  who 
either  do  not  understand,  or  do  not  regard  the  views  of 
the  projector;  and  if  no  scheme,  however  laudable,, 
practicable,  or  important,  can  with  propriety  be  pre- 
sented to  the  public,  that  is  not  susceptible  of  abuse,  or 
liable  to  miscarry,  from  the  ignorance  or  perverseness 


185 


of  men,  then  must  we  needs  abandon  every  hope  of 
ameliorating  the  condition  of  man. 

That  the  proposal  to  restore  Christian  union  is  in  it- 
self unobjectionable  and  praiseworthy,  nay,  that  it  is  a 
plain  duty  resting  upon  the  friends  of  the  church,  has, 
we  hope,  been  sufficiently  shown.  We  trust  also  that 
the  means  for  accomplishing  the  object  which  we  have 
ventured  to  suggest,  are  in  themselves  proper,  harmless, 
free  from  all  objection, and  that  they  possess  an  adaptation 
to  accomplish  the  end  proposed.  Other  means  better 
adapted  to  the  purpose  may,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
be  developed  after  the  reformation  shall  have  been  com- 
menced. And  even  now,  there  may  be  individual 
Christians  who  have  more  discernment,  or  have  bestow- 
ed more  thought  upon  the  subject  than  we  have,  to 
whose  minds  a  l)etter  course  of  means  may  have  been 
suggested.  One  object  of  the  publication  of  this  work, 
is  to  invite  attention  to  the  great  subject  of  Christian 
union,  to  induce  Christians  to  reflect  upon  it,  and  to 
bring  out  the  result  of  their  thoughts  before  the  religious 
world,  that  others  may  have  the  benefit  of  the  light 
which  they  possess. 

We  certainly  do  not  claim  to  have  presented  to  the 
public  a  new  doctrine.  Far  from  it.  The  principles 
we  have  laboured  to  estabhsh  in  the  preceding  pages, 
have  always  had  advocates,  ever  since  the  protestant 
church  has  fallen  from  the  unity  in  which  the  reforma- 
tion commenced,  and  in  which  it  has  been  left  by  Christ, 
his  apostles,  and  the  primitive  Christians.  But  the 
voice  of  truth  has  been  drowned  by  the  noise  of  contro- 
versy and  fierce  contention,  and  the  Christian  world  has 
now  for  so  long  a  time  been  under  the  influence  of  sect, 
that  what  is  truly  a  plain  doctrine  of  the  Bible,  and  has 
16* 


186 


always  been  believed  in  by  some,  sounds  upon  the  ear 
of  the  generality  of  Christians  as  though  it  were  entirely 
new.  It  seemed  therefore  proper  that  the  proposal  to 
reunite  the  broken  ranks  of  Christians  should  be  accom- 
panied with  as  ample  a  discu  ion  of  the  question  of  duty, 
as  they  would  probably  be  inclined  to  read,  and  as  though 
the  principles  advanced  were  entirely  new. 

If  this  work  should  succeed  in  receiving  a  good  mea- 
sure of  attention  from  the  Christian  public,  the  principal 
object  of  the  author  will  be  accomplished.  Men  of 
superior  minds  will  examine  for  themselves,  and  we  have 
no  fear,  but  that  the  result  of  an  imparti.  1  examination 
will  lead  them  to  the  same  conviction  to  which  we  have 
come  ourselves.  And  this  conviction  will  not  fail  to  be 
communicated  to  others  through  the  press,  from  the  pul- 
pit, and  otherwise.  In  this  manner,  a  flood  of  light 
will  in  few  years  break  in  upon  the  vision  of  the  Chris- 
tian public,  and  the  great,  important  truth  of  the  unity  of 
the  church,  and  the  consequent  duty  of  union  among  all 
its  members,  which  has  so  long  remained  buried  in  the 
darkness  of  sect,  will  find  its  way  into  the  minds  of 
God's  children.  And  the  force  which  the  truth  will 
exert  upon  them  will  be  great ;  especially  as  it  is  a  truth 
plainly  revealed,  of  vital  importance  to  the  interests  of 
religion,  and  which  condemns  their  past  opinions,  ha- 
bits, and  practice,  and  brings  the  whole  Christian  com- 
munity now  living,  with  a  long  line  of  revered  fathers 
and  predecessors,  under  the  sentence  of  having  departed 
from  the  truth  and  way  of  the  Lord.  This  must  produce 
deep  sorrow  that  they,  their  friends,  and  ancestors  have 
inflicted  so  much  injury  upon  the  church  and  cause  of 
God,  and  must  be  followed  with  a  humble  confession  of 
the  sin,  and  induce  them  to  raise  earnest  supplications 


187 


for  pardon,  and  for  direction  and  grace,  that  henceforth 
they  may  be  guided  in  the  way  of  the  pecuHar  duty  God 
now  requires  of  them,  to  retrace  past  errors. 

This  frame  of  mind  cannot  fail  to  prepare  those  who 
possess  it,  for  the  communication  of  the  Lord's  favour  to 
them.  He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper,  but 
he  that  confesseth  and  forsaketh  them  shall  have  mercy. 
Prov.  xxviii.  13.  The  Lord  will  have  compassion  on 
his  penitent  children  ;  he  will  hear  their  cry  for  pardon, 
and  according  to  the  abundance  of  his  mercy,  he  will 
forgive.  He  will  hearken  to  their  supplications  to  be 
guided  thenceforth  in  the  path  of  obedience  to  his  require- 
ments, and  he  will  graciously  show  them  the  way. 
He  will  teach  them,  according  to  his  own  wisdom  and 
goodness,  what  further  means  are  to  be  employed  to 
induce  the  whole  community  of  Christians  to  cast  away 
their  party  prejudices,  and  reform  their  sectarian  habits, 
and  to  bring  them  cordially  into  the  holy  bond  of  Chris- 
tian union. 

Another  of  the  means  which  we  have  advised  to  aid 
the  progress  of  the  reformation,  is  that  all  the  friends  of 
the  church  should  abstain  from  unprofitable  controversy, 
on  the  points  of  dispute  between  them.  Who  will  be  dis- 
posed to  deny  that  controversy  not  only  alienates  the 
affections,  and  promotes  disunion,  but  prevents  the 
genuine  operation  of  grace  to  draw  together  the  disciples 
of  the  Lord  and  Saviour.  Let  this  agent  of  discord  be 
hushed  into  silence,  and  you  remove  a  great  obstacle  to 
the  flow  of  mutual  love  in  Christian  bosoms,  to  the  de- 
sire of  peace,  the  holding  of  communion  in  praise, 
thanksgiving,  and  prayer,  and  the  union  of  counsel  and 
effort.  It  cannot  be  long  after  the  cessation  of  the  need- 
less and  unavailing  disputes  which  now  are  prevalent, 


188 


that  the  possessors  of  the  same  essential  faith  will  per- 
ceive how  trifling  in  their  character  are  those  differences 
wliich  now  serve  the  purpose  of  the  great  adversary  to 
cherish  jealousy,  envy,  anger,  and  schism  among  them, 
and  how  numerous  and  precious  are  the  doctrines  and 
truths  respecting  which  they  are  of  the  same  mind,  and 
speak  the  same  thing. 

The  next  means  which  we  have  specified  in  the  two 
preceding  chapters,  as  conducive  to  the  restoration  of 
Christian  union,  is  that  the  church  receive  her  members 
and  license  ministers  of  the  gospel,  upon  the  principles 
recognised  and  taught  in  the  Bible  ;  namely,  that  mem- 
bers be  received  when  they  give  evidence  that  they  are 
actual  members  of  the  spiritual  body  of  Christ ;  and 
that  ministers  be  licensed  when  they  exhibit  evidence  of 
their  qualifications  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  to  edify  be- 
lievers, and  honour  the  ministry  by  a  holy  walk.  The 
adoption  of  these  principles  will  be  greatly  facilitated, 
after  the  spirit  of  controversy  shall  have  died  away. 
That  the  reception  of  church  members,  and  licensure  of 
ministers  upon  these  catholic  grounds,  will  have  a  strong 
tendency  to  allay  the  spirit  of  party,  and  promote  the 
union  of  Christian  hearts,  must  be  evident  to  even  a 
superficial  thinker.  A  true  disciple  of  Christ,  wherever 
his  lot  may  be  cast,  will  desire  to  associate  with  those 
of  Hke  mind,  to  put  himself  under  the  watchful  care  of 
some  church,  as  well  as  to  partake  of  its  ordinances  and 
privileges.  If  he  cannot  be  freely  received  where  he 
sees  the  prospect  of  deriving  the  most  of  spiritual  bene- 
fit, it  requires  much  of  grace  to  preserve  towards  the 
members  of  that  church  the  same  measure  of  Christian 
affection,  which  he  would  in  case  he  had  been  received 
by  them.    And  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  extremely  diifi- 


189 


cult  for  the  members  of  any  church,  lo  banish  from  (heir 
minds  a  sense  of  superiority  over  such  as  are  deemed  un- 
qualified to  be  received  among  their  number.  By  adopting 
a  more  liberal  course,  these  unpleasant  feelings  and 
causes  of  alienation  will  be  avoided,  and  a  more  friendly 
spirit  will  be  promoted.  The  shibboleths  of  party  must 
soon  melt  away,  after  they  shall  cease  to  be  applied  in 
practice,  in  the  admission  of  church  members,  and  the 
licensing  of  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Room  will  at  once 
be  left  for  an  increasing  prevalence  of  the  sentiment  so 
often  repeated  in  the  Bible,  that  all  believers  in  Christ 
form  but  one  body,  and  stand  upon  a  footing  of  equality, 
and  that  the  ban  of  exclusion  must  be  applied  only  to 
the  heretic,  the  hypocrite,  and  the  corrupt. 

And  thus  will  be  removed  one  of  the  barriers  to  the 
observance  of  an  important  duty,  which  we  have  also 
placed  among  the  means  of  restoring  Christian  union, 
namely,  to  cherish  the  holy  feeling  of  love  to  believers 
of  every  denomination.  That  the  performance  of  this 
duty  will  hasten  the  abolition  of  sectarian  feelings  and 
distinctions,  is  almost  too  evident  to  admit  of  any  illus- 
tration. That  it  is  a  practicable  duty  will  not  be  denied, 
when  we  reflect  that  our  affections  are  much  under  the 
control  of  our  faculties.  The  consciousness  that  we  are 
bound  to  love  another,  will  oftentimes  be  the  means  of 
producing  that  love,  even  against  the  power  of  strong 
previous  antipathies.  A  sense  of  the  duty  will  lead  us, 
not  only  to  look  more  narrowly  into  the  substantial  rea- 
sons of  the  requirement,  and  the  principles  on  which  it 
is  founded,  but  will  move  us  to  palliate  and  make  every 
allowance  for  the  imperfections  and  faults  of  the  indivi- 
dual, and  to  seek  out  and  dwell  upon  their  good  and 
amiable  qualities.     Many,  very  many  considerations 


190 


will  crowd  upon  the  mind  of  a  Christian,  why  he  should 
love  his  brother  in  Christ,  whenever  he  shall  have  fully 
yielded  to  the  conviction  that  it  is  his  duty  to  love  him, 
and  understand  the  measure  in  which  that  love  should 
be  exercised,  and  thus  will  be  produced  in  the  Christian 
bosom  the  very  affection  he  desires  to  cultivate  and 
cherish. 

The  active  and  liberal  support  of  the  benevolent  so- 
cieties of  the  day,  we  have  also  enumerated  among  the 
means  of  terminating  the  schisms  in  the  church  of 
Christ.  And  we  know  of  no  means  which  are  more 
happily  adapted  to  unite  the  hearts  and  the  exertions  of 
God's  people.  Every  volume  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
issued  from  the  American  Bible  Society,  —  every  tract 
distributed  from  the  American  Tract  Society,  —  every 
book  which  comes  from  the  press  of  the  American  Sun- 
day School  Union,  —  every  missionary  sent  forth  by  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, or  by  the  Home  Missionary  Society,  —  every 
preacher  or  spiritual  labourer  employed  by  the  Seamen's 
Friend  Society,  —  is  looked  upon  as  a  servant  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  promote  his  kingdom  throughout  the  world, 
and  not  as  an  instrument  to  advance  the  interests  of  a 
petty  sect.  Every  instance  of  success  achieved  by  the 
agency  thus  employed,  is  considered  as  won  for  the 
cause  of  universal  religion,  instead  of  a  victory  for  a 
small  section  of  the  church.  The  thousands  of  readers 
of  the  publications  detailing  the  acts  and  proceedings  of 
these  benevolent  institutions,  have  a  common  feeling  of 
interest  in  the  information  thus  communicated.  They 
rejoice  together,  when  they  witness  the  hberality  of 
Christians  in  supporting  these  charities,  when  they  read 
of  doors  of  usefulness  opened  to  their  efforts,  of  the 


191 


smiles  of  God  upon  their  contributions  and  exertions,  in 
calling  sinners  to  repentance  in  lands  of  darkness  and 
desolation.  They  sympathize  together,  when  they  hear 
of  sickness  and  death  among  the  agents  of  their  bene- 
volence, or  of  any  untoward  event  to  impede  the  holy 
cause  they  are  striving  to  advance.  They  meet  together 
at  the  monthly  concert,  to  render  thanks  to  God  for 
success  afforded,  to  humble  themselves  before  him  under 
any  rebuke  or  adverse  providence,  and  to  supplicate  his 
aid  and  direction  in  the  future  conduct  of  their  enter- 
prises. And  in  the  larger  multitudes  which  annually 
convene  at  our  religious  anniversaries,  in  the  principal 
cities,  while  listening  to  the  reports  of  what  has  been 
done,  and  contemplated  to  be  done,  they  become  elated 
with  the  same  hopes,  and  moved  v.  ith  the  same  desires, 
they  offer  the  same  prayers,  and  renuer  the  same  thanks- 
givings. It  is  on  such  occasions  that  liberal  Christians 
experience  fulness  of  joy,  and  their  breasts  heave  with 
anxious  desire  that  every  believer  may  be  blessed  with 
a  still  fuller  measure.  It  is  then  that  they  know  how  to 
pity  the  scantiness  of  that  enjoyment  which  is  felt  by  him 
who  cannot  expand  his  heart  beyond  the  bounds  of  his 
own  denomination.  They  long  for  a  return  of  those 
seasons  which  have  such  a  happy  influence  in  binding 
together  the  hearts  of  God's  children,  in  the  sweet  ties 
of  brotherly  love.  How  easy  and  natural  is  it  for  such 
as  only  for  a  few  years  continue  to  act  together,  in  the 
promotion  of  these  holy  charities,  to  desire  and  strive  to 
effect  an  entire  union  of  affection,  counsel,  action,  and 
name,  so  that  they  may  be  one,  as  Christ  and  the  Father 
are  one.  They  soon  begin  to  wonder  why  there  should 
be  any  separation  between  them,  why  they  have  so  long 
been  strangers  to  each  other,  and  what  there  is  to  pre- 


192 


vent  a  complete  union.  The  chains  of  sect,  once  so 
strong,  appear  to  them  hlliputian  ties  which  cannot  hold 
them  in  distinct  communities,  and  which,  Hke  the  cords 
wherewith  the  Philistines  bound  Samson,  when  the  Spi- 
rit of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon  him,  become  as  flax 
that  is  burnt  with  fire. 

The  primitive  Christians  read  the  books  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament,  expecting,  with  the  teaching  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  find  therein  sufficient  direction  to  instruct 
them  in  the  doctrines  and  practice  of  Christianity.  It 
will  be  readily  perceived  how  directly  and  powerfully  it 
would  promote  the  union  of  believers,  should  this  man- 
ner of  reading  the  Scriptures  become  the  general  habit 
among  them.   This  is  one  of  the  means  we  have  speci- 
fied in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  is,  we  believe,  among 
the  most  important.    If  it  were  once  adopted,  it  would 
soon  appear  plain  that  all  the  attempts  which  have  been 
made  to  reduce  the  language  of  the  Bible  to  greater  pre- 
cision and  certainty  have  grossly  failed  to  advance  the 
cause  of  truth,  and  have  rather  served  to  darken  counsel 
by  words  without  knowledge  ;  and  that  however  heretics 
may  conceal  their  corrupt  opinions  by  adhering  to  the 
words  of  the  Bible,  that  yet,  after  all,  the  best  way  of 
stating  the  revealed  mind  of  God  is  to  use  the  expres- 
sions which  have  been  dictated  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
source  and  fountain  of  light  and  wisdom.  It  would  more- 
over be  seen  that  many  disputes  have  agitated  and  rent 
the  church,  which  originated  not  from  any  obscurity  or 
uncertainty  in  the  words  employed  in  the  Scriptures,  but 
from  the  ingenuity  and  presumption  of  men,  who,  whe- 
ther unwittingly  or  otherwise,  sought  to  be  wise  above 
what  is  written,  and  to  pry  into  things  which  God  has 
seen  best  not  to  reveal  or  explain.    All,  reading  and 


studying  the  same  standard  of  faith  and  practice  in  the 
simplicity  which  God  himself  has  given  it,  without  at- 
tempting to  bend  its  meaning  to  the  respective  creeds, 
confessions,  and  systems  of  the  church,  they  will  of  ne- 
cessity become  more  of  the  same  mind  and  of  the  same 
judgement.  Then  too  it  will  become  apparent  how  much 
of  the  Bible  is  taken  up  in  inculcating  peace,  love,  and 
unity,  and  how  much  there  is  in  it  of  dissuasion  from 
jealousies,  disputes,  contentions,  and  divisions  among 
brethren  of  the  same  family.  By  the  continued  perusal 
of  the  Scriptures,  it  will  also  be  learned  of  how  little  va- 
lue are  all  abstract  opinions,  however  correct,  except  as 
they  lead  to  a  more  acce|)table  worship  and  service  of 
God,  and  a  more  benevolent  behaviour  towards  man. 

The  union  of  Christians  will  also  be  materially  aided 
when  they  shall  abound  in  prayer  to  God  appropriate  to 
the  present  wants  of  the  church,  and  especially  for  a 
more  devoted  and  efficient  ministry  of  the  gospel.  God 
is  doubtless  pleased  with  the  petitions  of  his  people,  when 
they  bring  before  him  their  precise  wants.  He  wishes 
them  to  be  acquainted  with  all  their  wants,  to  feel  their 
need  of  help,  and  then  ask  him  to  give  it.  When,  there- 
fore, under  a  deep  sense  of  the  sin  and  evils  of  schism, 
and  the  duty  and  blessedness  of  living  in  the  unity  cf  the 
Spirit,  in  the  bond  of  peace,  they  shall  ask  his  guidance 
and  assistance,  the  most  happy  results  may  be  expected 
froin  the  promises  and  faithfulness  of  their  heavenly  Fa- 
ther. And  since  a  return  to  the  primitive  unity  of  the 
church,  and  indeed  its  prosperity  in  all  its  relations,  de- 
pends so  much  on  a  de\  '  ted  and  efficient  ministry,  when 
the  disciples  shall  feel  the  want  of  such  a  ministry,  they 
will  not  only  pray,  but  labour  and  expect  to  obtain  it. 
We  doubtless  receive  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  our 
17 


194 


desires,  petitions,  and  efforts.  "  Open  thy  mouth  and  I 
will  fill  it."  Did  they  but  perceive  with  anxiety  the  ne- 
cessity of  a  more  catholic  ministry,  with  minds  enlarged 
to  comprehend  the  wants  of  the  world,  and  forgetting  the 
narrow  circle  of  their  sectarian  relations,  they  would  ask 
and  strive  for,  and  be  supplied  with  such  a  ministry  ;  for 
God  will  not  give  them  a  stone  when  they  ask  for  bread, 
nor  when  they  ask  for  a  fish  will  he  give  them  a  scor- 
pion. 

The  tendency  of  most,  if  not  all  the  means  we  have 
specified,  it  must  be  admitted,  is  to  increase  the  amount 
and  raise  the  standard  of  piety  in  the,  church  ;  and  we 
are  confident  that  whatever  shall  produce  this  happy  re- 
sult will  also  promote  the  union  of  Christians.    We  are 
apprized  that  in  the  strenuous  exertions  now  made  by 
synods,  presbyteries,  and  other  ecclesiastical  bodies  of 
several  denominations,  to  strengthen  the  attachment  of 
their  people  to  their  own  peculiar  tenets,  rites,  and  forms 
of  government,  they  enumerate  among  the  means  to  ac- 
complish this  end,  the  attainment  of  a  more  elevated 
standard  of  Christian  character.    It  is  matter  of  rejoic- 
ing that  public  bodies  of  such  diverse  views  and  senti- 
ments agree  in  recommending  a  measure  of  such  excel- 
lence, although  it  would  have  been  more  satisfactory  to 
have  learned  from  them  what  they  precisely  mean  by  it. 
If  they  understand  by  a  more  elevated  standard  of  piety 
the  same  thing  that  we  do,  namely,  a  greater  conformity 
of  heart  and  life  to  the  requirements  of  God's  word,  then 
we  venture  to  affirm  that  when  this  point  shall  have  been 
attained,  instead  of  confirming  their  people  in  the  love  of 
sectarian  peculiarities,  their  minds  will  have  become  ex- 
panded to  see  the  folly  and  sin  of  such  attachment,  and 
to  embrace  the  more  noble  and  scriptural  principle  of 


196 


Christian  unity.  The  tendency  of  deep  piety  to  promote 
this  union  is  happily  illustrated  by  the  Rev.  Andrew  Reed 
of  London,  lately  on  a  mission  of  love  to  this  country, 
designed  to  strengthen  the  bond  of  union  between  Brit- 
ish and  American  Christians.    We  allude  to  a  mission- 
ary sermon  preached  by  him  in  his  own  country  some 
two  or  three  years  ago,  entitled,  "  Eminent  Piety  essen- 
tial to  Eminent  Usefulness."  We  have  read  the  sermon 
with  much  pleasure,  and  regret  that  we  have  not  a  copy 
at  hand  to  select  some  quotations.    We  have,  however, 
recently  met  with  a  pretty  full  expression  of  the  views  of 
Robert  Hall  on  the  same  point,  and  cannot  deny  our- 
selves the  gratification  of  giving  the  following  extract, 
for  the  length  of  which  the  reader  will  find  himself  amply 
compensated,  when  he  shall  have  witnessed  its  pertinen- 
cy, elegance,  and  force  :  "  That  union  among  Christians 
which  it  is  so  desirable  to  recover,  must,  we  are  persua- 
ded, be  the  result  of  something  more  heavenly'  and  di- 
vine, than  legal  restraints,  or  angry  controversies.  Un- 
less an  angel  were  to  descend  for  that  purpose,  the  spirit 
of  division  is  a  disease  which  will  never  be  healed  by 
troubling  the  waters.    We  must  expect  the  cure  from 
the  increasing  prevalence  of  religion,  and  from  a  copious 
communication  of  the  Spirit  to  produce  that  event.  A 
more  extensive  diffusion  of  piety  among  all  sects  and 
parties,  will  be  the  best  and  only  preparation  for  a  cor- 
dial union.    Christians  will  then  be  disposed  to  appre- 
ciate their  differences  more  equitably,  to  turn  their  chief 
attention  to  points  on  which  they  agree,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  loving  each  other  more,  to  make  every  ct)n- 
cession  consistent  with  a  good  conscience.    Instead  of 
wishing  to  vanquish  others,  every  one  will  be  desirous  of 
being  vanquished  by  the  truth.    An  awful  fear  of  God, 


106 

and  an  exclusive  desire  of  discovering  bis  mind,  will  hold 
a  torch  before  them  in  their  inquiries,  which  will  strange- 
ly illuminate  the  path  in  which  they  tread.  In  the  room 
of  being  repelled  by  mutual  antipathy,  they  will  be  insen- 
sibly drawn  nearer  to  each  other  by  the  ties  of  mutual 
attachment.  A  larger  measure  of  the  spirit  of  Christ 
would  prevent  them  from  converting  every  incidental  va- 
riation into  an  impassable  boundary  ;  or  from  condemn- 
ing the  most  innocent  and  laudable  usages  for  fear  of 
symbolizing  with  another  class  of  Christians.  The  ge- 
neral prevalence  of  piety  in  different  communities  would 
inspire  that  mutual  respect,  that  heartfelt  homage  for  the 
virtues  conspicuous  in  the  character  of  these  respective 
members,  which  would  urge  us  to  ask  with  astonishment 
and  regret.  Why  cannot  we  be  one  1  What  is  it  that  ob- 
structs our  union  ?^  Instead  of  maintaining  the  barrier 
which  separates  us  from  each  other,  and  employing  our- 
selves in  fortifying  the  frontiers  of  hostile  communities, 
we  should  be  anxiously  devising  the  means  of  narrowing 
the  grounds  of  dispute,  by  drawing  the  attention  of  all 
parties  to  those  fundamental  and  catholic  principles  in 
which  they  concur. 

"  To  this  we  may  add  that  a  more  perfect  subjection 
to  the  authority  of  the  great  Head  of  the  church,  would 
restrain  men  from  inventing  new  terms  of  communion, 
from  lording  it  over  conscience,  or  from  exacting  a  scru- 
pulous compliance  with  things  which  the  word  of  God 
has  left  indifferent.  That  sense  of  imperfection  we 
ought  ever  to  cherish,  would  incline  us  to  be  looking  up 
for  superior  light,  and  make  us  think  it  not  improbable 
that,  in  the  long  night  which  has  befallen  us,  we  have  all 
more  or  less  mistaken  our  m  ay,  and  have  much  to  learn 
and  much  to  correct.    The  very  idea  of  identifying  a 


197 


particular  party  with  the  church  would  be  exploded  ;  the 
foolish  clamour  about  schism  hushed,  and  no  one,  how- 
ever mean  and  inconsiderable,  be  expected  to  surrender 
his  conscience  to  the  claims  of  ecclesiastical  dominion. 
The  New  Testament  is  surely  not  so  obscure  a  book, 
that  were  its  contents  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  hundred 
serious,  impartial  men,  it  would  produce  such  opposite 
conclusions  as  must  necessarily  ensue,  in  their  forming 
two  or  more  separate  communions.  It  is  remarkable, 
indeed,  that  the  chief  points  about  which  real  Christians 
are  divided,  are  points  on  which  that  volume  is  silent — 
mere  human  fabrications,  which  the  presumption  of  men 
has  attached  to  the  Christian  system.  A  larger  commu- 
nication of  the  Spirit  of  truth,  would  insensibly  lead 
Christians  into  a  similar  train  of  thinking ;  and  being 
more  under  the  guidance  of  that  infallible  teacher,  they 
would  gradually  tend  to  the  same  point,  and  settle  in  the 
same  conclusions.  Without  such  an  influence  as  this, 
the  coalescing  into  one  communion  would  probably  be 
productive  of  much  mischief ;  it  certainly  would  do  no 
sort  of  good,  since  it  would  be  the  mere  result  of  intole- 
rance and  pride  acting  upon  indolence  and  fear. 

"  During  the  present  disjointed  state  of  things,  then, 
nothing  remains  but  for  every  one,  to  whom  the  care  of 
any  part  of  the  church  of  Christ  is  intrusted,  to  exert  him- 
self to  the  utmost  in  the  promotion  of  vital  religion,  in 
cementing  the  friendship  of  the  good,  and  repressing, 
with  a  firm  and  steady  hand,  the  heats  and  eruptions  of 
party  spirit.  He  will  find  sufficient  employment  for  his 
time  and  his  talents  in  inculcating  the  great  truths  of  the 
gospel,  and  endeavouring  to  form  Christ  in  his  hearers, 
without  blowing  the  flames  of  contention,  or  widening 
the  breach  which  is  already  the  disgrace  and  the  calarai- 
17* 


198 


ty  of  the  Christian  name.  Were  our  efforts  uniformly  to 
take  this  direction,  there  would  be  an  identity  in  the  im- 
pression made  by  religious  instruction  ;  the  distortion  of 
party  features  would  gradually  disappear,  and  Christians 
would  every  where  approach  towards  that  ideal  beauty 
spoken  of  by  painters,  which  is  combined  of  the  finest 
lines  and  traits  conspicuous  in  individual  forms.  Since 
they  have  all  drunk  into  the  same  spirit,  it  is  manifest 
nothing  is  wanting  but  a  larger  portion  of  that  spirit  to  lay 
the  foundation  of  a  solid,  cordial  union.  It  is  to  the  im- 
moderate attachment  to  secular  interest,  the  love  of 
power,  and  the  want  oi'  reverence  for  truth,  not  to  the 
obscurities  of  revelation,  we  must  impute  the  unhappy 
contentions  among  Christians,  maladies  which  nothing 
can  correct  but  deep  and  genuine  piety." 

As  has  been  already  intimated,  we  have  not  enumera- 
ted all  the  means  which  we  believe  adapted  to  accom- 
plish the  reunion  of  the  friends  of  Christ.  We  have  spe- 
cified what  may  rather  be  called  the  incipient  measures 
to  prepare  the  minds  of  Christians  to  adopt  those  of  a 
more  decisive  and  effective  character,  bearing  more  di- 
rectly upon  the  final  result.  Should  the  Lord  smile  upon 
those  which  we  have  pointed  out,  other  means  will  soon 
come  in  aid  of  them  to  hasten  the  work. 

Amono'  these  will  be  the  discontinuance  of  that  secta- 
rian  training  which  is  now  given  to  children  by  parents, 
and  even  some  Sabbath  schools,  and  by  ministers  to  their 
congregations.  If  we  should  weigh  the  prospect  ot'the 
final  accomplishment  of  the  scheme  of  reunion,  we  would 
name  this  as  the  most  important «f  them  all,  and  as  hold- 
ing the  same  place  in  this,  as  the  principle  of  total  absti- 
nence does  in  the  temperance  reformation.  T\  e  should 
have  placed  it  in  the  list  of  means  in  the  preceding  chap- 


199 


ters,  had  we  not  been  persuaded  that  with  the  greater 
portion  of  the  rehgious  community  it  will  not  be  adopted 
in  the  inceptive  stage  of  the  work.  But  to  those  who  are 
prepared  to  hear  it,  we  hesitate  not  to  recommend  it  as 
a  step  to  be  taken  at  the  very  commencement,  being 
convinced  that  wherever  it  is  adopted  the  progress  of  the 
enterprise  must  be  very  rapid.  As  long  as  parents  con- 
tinue to  inculcate  upon  their  children.  Sabbath  school 
teachers  upon  their  pupils,  and  ministers  upon  their  peo- 
ple, the  superior  excellence  and  the  scriptural  authority 
of  the  tenets  and  forms  of  the  denomination  to  which 
they  belong,  how  can  they  ever  become  weaned  from 
their  attachment  to  sectarian  peculiarities  and  distinc- 
tions, and  how  can  they  ever  desire  to  draw  closer  the 
bond  of  union  among  God's  children?  As  well  might 
you  expect  to  see  sobriety  prevail  in  a  family  where  the 
cup  of  intoxication  is  daily  ministered  to  its  inmates. 
Whenever  this  sectarian  training,  by  means  of  the  cate- 
chisms and  formularies  of  the  churches,  or  through  the 
sermons  of  the  preacher,  shall  be  abandoned,  the  very 
aliment  of  sectarianism  will  be  withdrawn.  The  Bible 
then  will  be  read  without  prejudice  on  the  conflicling 
points  that  separate  different  denominations,  and  the  truth 
of  God  will  more  probably  be  ascertained.  But  so  long 
as  that  sectarian  training  is  continued,  we  see  not  how, 
without  a  moral  miracle,  union  ever  can  take  place. 

And  why  cannot  this  be  done]  Why  need  a  Presby- 
terian, whether  minister,  parent,  or  Sabbath  school  teach- 
er, say  any  thing  about  the  doctrine  of  election  or  perse- 
verance to  his  people,  or  children,  or  scholars  ?  Why 
need  a  Methodist  say  any  thing  about  falling  from  grace? 
Is  either  doctrine,  if  true,  necessary  to  the  salvation  of 
the  soul  ?  And  is  not  the  "  prima  facie"  evidence  of  the 


200 


truth  of  the  one  as  great  as  that  of  the  other,  when  the 
piety  and  talents  of  the  respective  denominations  are 
weighed  ?  Is  it  not  worth  the  while  of  both,  to  give  op- 
portunity to  the  generation  that  shall  rise  up  under  their 
influence,  to  form  their  sentiments  impartially  upon  those 
points  which  divide  to  so  great  an  extent  the  Christian 
world  ?  Has  not  one  denomination  as  much  reason  to 
think  itself  right  as  another  ? 

Other  means  of  an  efiective  character  will  not  fail  to 
succeed.  The  periodical  press,  instead  of  advancing 
the  interests  of  sect,  will  advocate  the  necessity  of  abo- 
lishing them.  Books  of  a  more  liberal  and  cathoUc 
stamp  will  take  the  place  of  such  as  are  of  a  more  exclu- 
sive character.  More  pains  will  be  taken  to  increase  the 
amount  of  general  and  useful  knowledge,  and  the  igno- 
rance, wliich  is  so  well  adapted  to  cherish  the  narrow 
views  and  feelings  of  sect,  be  dispelled.  The  entire  as- 
pect of  things  will  in  a  short  time  be  changed.  The 
whole  current  of  feeling  will  run  into  a  difierent  channel. 
Christians  of  all  names  ^vill  see  how  nearly  they  are 
agreed  in  all  the  essentials  of  rehgion,  and  how  unim- 
portant are  the  difi'erences  which  have  so  long  kept  them 
at  variance.  Intolercmce  will  then  be  succeeded  by  the 
grace  of  forbearance,  and  the  noise  of  contention  hushed 
into  silence  by  the  spirit  of  conciliation.  The  Scriptures 
read  in  this  frame  of  mind  will  vindicate  their  own  plain- 
ness and  certainty,  after  having  been  so  long  obscured 
through  the  folly,  delusion,  and  perverseness  of  men. 

The  cautious  reader,  we  are  aware,  may  fail  to  per- 
ceive the  sufBciency  of  all  the  means  we  have  hitherto 
specified,  to  work  so  great  a  revolution  as  that  which  is 
requisite  to  place  the  church  on  the  basis  of  its  primitive 
unity.    He  may  admit  that  an  important  amelioration 


201 


would  take  place  in  the  state  of  Christian  feeling,  if  only 
those  means  were  employed  which  we  have  advised,  or 
even  if  a  part  of  them  were  adopted  ;  but  difficulties  may 
still  remain,  which  in  his  view  are  not  only  serious,  but 
insurmountable.  He  may  ask.  How  is  the  union  to  be 
ultimately  effected  ?  Which  of  the  denominations  will 
be  willing  to  make  the  first  overture  1  Will  the  union, 
when  formed,  be  based  on  the  broad  ground  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, or  will  a  short  creed  be  adopted,  embracing  the 
cardinal  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion  upon  Avhich 
the  different  sects  are  now  agreed  1  And  may  there  not 
be  difficulty  in  settling  what  these  cardinal  doctrines  shall 
be,  and  whether  they  shall  embrace  three,  four,  or  more 
points  ■?  And  after  all  these  matters  are  settled,  it  may 
be  asked,  which  of  the  several  forms  of  goA  ernment  now 
in  use  will  be  adopted  for  the  united  church?  And  how 
will  the  present  differences  of  sentiment  in  regard  to  rites 
and  forms  be  reconciled  ? 

We  remark,  in  answer  to  these  questions,  that  the  dif- 
ficulties above  suggested,  and  all  others  that  may  be 
imagined,  lie  exclusively  in  the  frame  of  mind  of  the  par- 
ties at  variance.  While  distance,  jealousy,  controversy, 
and  alienation  of  heart,  continue  to  subsist  between  the 
different  sects,  the  obstacles  to  their  reunion  will  remain 
insuperable  ;  but  whenever  these  evil  affections  shall  be 
removed,  or  materially  modified,  then  the  difficulty  of  a 
total  reconciliation  is  reduced  almost  entirely  to  a  matter 
of  opinion  on  the  question  of  duty  or  interest.  When  na- 
tions, for  instance,  are  at  war,  a  pacification  is  hopeless 
while  the  spirit  of  hostility  prevails.  As  soon  as  this  sub- 
sides the  disposition  to  peace  will  return,  and  the  point 
of  honour  which  shall  make  the  first  overture  is  readily 
forgotten,  preliminary  difficulties  are  easily  removed,  the 


202 


questions  of  interest,  supposed  or  real,  are  discussed  in 
the  spirit  of  conciliation ;  and  when  these  are  settled  the 
terms  of  the  treaty  are  easily  adjusted.  How  often  and 
how  suddenly,  sometimes,  have  nations  been  induced  in 
this  manner  to  terminate  the  most  deadly  hostilities  !  So 
a  husband  and  wife,  living  in  a  state  of  separation,  (and 
they  may,  not  inaptly,  be  compared  to  the  divided  church,) 
will  resist  all  attempts  to  bring  them  to  live  together  in 
peace,  so  long  as  they  indulge  in  feelings  of  opposition 
or  alienation.  But  means  may  be  employed  to  produce 
between  them  a  better  feeling,  and  as  soon  as  this  is  ef- 
fected, they  will  not  only  perceive  that  it  is  their  duty  to 
be  agreed  and  live  together  as  becometh  man  and  wife, 
but  they  will  be  anxious  to  remove  every  impediment 
that  may  be  in  the  way,  and  then  the  result  of  a  happy 
reconciliation  may  be  confidently  expected.  In  like  man- 
ner means  may  be  employed  to  change  the  current  of 
feeling  which  at  present  subsists  among  the  scattered 
disciples,  whom  their  Lord  has  united  in  a  bond  as  inti- 
mate as  that  between  husband  and  wife ;  and  some  of 
the  means  we  have  enumerated  will  be  conceded  to  have 
a  tendency  to  effect  the  object.  When  once  the  state  of 
heart  is  brought  about  which  the  Scriptures  require,  and 
teach  to  be  attainable,  no  points  of  honour  will  remain  to 
be  settled,  no  scruples  left  as  to  who  shall  make  the  first 
overture  ;  the  terms  and  basis  of  the  union  cannot  long 
remain  obstacles  in  the  way  of  those  who  have  essen- 
tially the  same  faith,  and  are  baptized  into  the  same  spi- 
rit. If  it  shall  be  deemed  necessary  or  proper  to  state  a 
few  essential  points  of  doctrine  as  the  basis  of  union, 
what  can  hinder  them  from  agreeing  what  they  shall  be, 
and  to  forbear  one  another  on  all  minor  difierences  ? 
The  form  of  government  for  the  church  which  has  oc- 


203 


casioned  so  much  of  controversy,  and  which  may  now 
seem  so  formidable  a  difficulty  in  the  way  of  Christian 
union,  will  appear  comparatively  a  matter  of  small  con- 
sequence, unless  it  shall  be  found  so  definitively  settled 
in  the  word  of  God  as  to  preclude  honest  differences  of 
opinion  between  those  who  love  the  truth.  At  all  events, 
when  the  minds  of  men  shall  have  become  more  mould- 
ed into  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  they  will  search  the  Scrip- 
tures to  ascertain  whether  the  form  of  church  govern- 
ment is  therein  prescribed,  and  if  it  is,  they  will  honestly 
admit  the  truth.  If  it  shall  be  found  that  it  is  not,  the 
question  of  expediency  will  be  the  only  topic  of  discus- 
sion remaining,  and  will  be  settled,  we  apprehend,  with- 
out serious  difficulty.  The  same  remark  may  be  made 
in  regard  to  the  rituals  of  the  church,  which,  as  well  as 
the  mode  of  its  government,  cannot  be  said  to  belong  to 
the  essentials  of  religion,  being  fmly  the  means  of  secu- 
ring those  things  which  are  of  more  value,  namely,  the 
blessings  of  religion  themselves.  Possibly  a  form  of 
government  may  be  adopted  for  the  united  church  dif- 
ferent from  any  that  now  exists  in  any  of  the  denomina- 
tions. The  time  surely  has  not  now  come  to  attempt  to 
settle  this  and  the  matter  of  rituals.  When  the  church 
shall  be  prepared  to  enter  upon  these  questions,  every 
difficulty  may  have  already  melted  away.  It  is  now  im- 
possible to  conceive  with  what  facility  the  breaches  in 
the  household  of  Christ  will  be  healed,  when  it  shall  be 
acknowledged  and  felt  as  an  hnporlanl  and  evident  truth 
taught  in  the  Scriptures,  that  they  must  be  agreed — that 
there  may  be  no  divisions  between  them.  When  once 
the  spirit  of  love  shall  have  re-entered  the  church,  the 
tendency  to  union,  which  is  already  strong  in  many  Chris- 
tian bosoms  at  the  present  time,  will  become  irresistible, 


204 


remove  impediments,  and  mow  down  obstacles.  Then 
will  brethren  employ  themselves  with  more  diligence, 
alacrity,  earnestness,  and  perseverance,  in  demolishing 
the  walls  of  partition,  than  they  formerly  were,  or  now 
are,  in  erecting  and  strengthening  them.  Then  may  the 
Almighty  also  be  expected  to  bring  the  wonderful  work- 
ings of  his  providence  to  aid  the  efforts  of  his  children, 
until  every  difficulty  shall  be  removed,  and  the  reunion 
of  his  people  accomplished- 
Having  in  this  work  endeavoured  to  convince  our 
Christian  friends  of  a  duty  which,  we  are  assured,  most 
of  them  had  not  previously  realized,  it  has  been  our  de- 
sign not  only  to  prove  the  duty  itself  to  be  clearly  incum- 
bent upon  them,  but  to  show  further  that  the  performance 
of  the  duty  will  be  followed  with  success.  In  order  to 
this,  we  have  placed  before  them  the  means  of  effecting 
this  object,  and  have  endeavoured  to  trace  the  operation 
of  those  means  until  the  final  result  of  the  reunion  of  the 
church  shall  be  accomplished.  We  admit  it  to  be  rea- 
sonable, in  general,  that  an  author  who  undertakes  to 
convince  the  community  of  the  duty  of  effecting  a  refor- 
mation, the  benefit  of  which  shall  be  common  to  all, 
should  also  give  all  the  light  he  possesses  as  to  the  means 
and  mode  of  its  accomplishment,  and  thereby  excite  suf- 
ficient confidence  in  the  practicability  of  the  scheme,  to 
induce  others  to  embark  in  it.  Yet  we  doubt  whether  on 
the  present  occasion  the  Christian  public  could  with  pro- 
priety require  more  at  our  hands,  than  to  show  that  the 
union  of  believers  on  the  original  basis  ordained  of  Christ, 
would  be  pleasing  to  God — and  that  he  must  be  dis- 
pleased with  their  neglecting  to  effect  this  union.  Were 
it  a  matter  plainly  beyond  their  reach  or  power,  they 
might  conscientiously  leave  it  cither  wholly  undone,  or 


205 


urge  the  performance  of  it  upon  others,  who  could  not 
plead  the  same  exemption.  But  here  we  propose  a  mat- 
ter of  common  interest  to  eveiy  member  of  the  church, 
for  upon  every  one  the  duty  of  working  the  reform  ne- 
cessarily devolves,  and  not  one  can  claim  an  excuse  on 
the  ground  that  others  ought  to  perform  it.  The  duty 
must  either  be  acknowledged  by  Christians,  or  they  must 
assume  the  impracticability  of  the  scheme  as  the  reason 
why  they  are  excusable  from  action.  And  an  assump- 
tion of  this  kind  we  apprehend  they  have  no  right  to 
make.  The  duty  itself,  aside  from  the  question  of  its 
practicability,  is  very  clear.  Can  any  Christian  then  be 
permitted  to  say,  I  may  safely  lie  idle  until  some  one 
shall  prove  that  the  execution  of  the  plan  is  practicable  1 
No  ;  it  is  as  much  his  duty  as  that  of  any  other,  to  con- 
trive the  proper  means  to  effect  it,  and  to  remove  the 
difficulties  and  obstacles  ;  and  he  cannot  conscientious- 
ly fold  his  arms  in  inaction  until  he  has  exhausted  his  re- 
sources to  discover  those  means,  and  satisfied  himself 
that  the  object,  however  desirable,  is  unattainable.  He 
cannot  have  the  right  to  sit  still  and  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the 
call  of  duty,  until  some  one  shall  voluntarily  come  to  give 
him  the  instruction  he  ought  to  seek  for  himself  We 
infer  from  these  remarks,  that  our  readers  ought  not  to 
reject  the  proposal  made  in  this  work,  even  if  we  have 
failed  to  strip  the  question  of  its  practicability  of  every 
difficulty.  We  even  claim  the  right  of  calling  on  them, 
as  fellow  Christians,  possessing  the  same  interest  as 
ourselves  in  the  success  of  the  reformation,  to  aid  us  with 
their  advice  and  countenance  in  the  removal  of  every 
impediment.  The  point  of  duty,  we  repeat,  is  exceed- 
ingly c/ear.  The  state  of  the  church  is  wrong.  She  is 
divided,  but  ought  to  be  united.  She  was  one  as  origi- 
18 


206 


nally  constituted,  —  she  will  be  one  in  heaven,  —  and 
Christians  of  every  denomination  believe  that  she  will 
be  one  again  on  earth.  Whenever  that  shall  take  place, 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  her  reunion  will  have  been 
previously  removed,  in  the  providence  of  God,  we  admit, 
but  not  by  the  exercise  of  his  miraculous  power.  This 
is  not  expected  by  any.  The  work  will  have  been  done 
by  human  instrumentality.  It  must  be  done  by  Chris- 
tians, for  the  enemies  of  religion  will  never  do  it.  A 
great  and  arduous  work  is  to  be  accomplished,  which 
requires  the  aid  of  all  who  can  be  brought  to  take  a 
part.  What  Christian,  then,  can  claim  to  be  exempt 
from  assuming  his  share  in  it?  None  may  wait  till  they 
hear  a  voice  from  heaven  commanding  them  what  they 
must  do,  nor  until  the  road  has  been  cleared  of  its 
obstructions,  by  such  as  are  more  industrious  and  obe- 
dient, or  less  fearful  and  unbelieving.  We  may  not 
plead  our  own  wrong  state  of  mind,  as  an  excuse  for 
the  neglect  of  our  duties. 

It  is  moreover  a  present  duty.  How  can  wc  allege 
that  we  may  lie  still  until  the  more  formidable  obstacles 
are  removed,  when  it  is  our  duty  to  remove  them  our- 
selves without  delay,  and  when  we  have  no  authority  to 
command  another  to  remove  them  for  us?  Nothing 
can  be  gained  by  postponing  the  commencement  of  the 
work ;  for  the  evil  is  meanwhile  increasing,  and  the 
difficulties  are  multiplying.  While  the  church  continues 
in  its  present  distracted  state,  the  name  of  God  is  dis- 
honoured, the  body  of  Christ  bleeds  afresh  at  every  pore, 
and  sinners  are  plunging  by  millions  into  hell.  What 
reason,  then,  can  possibly  be  alleged  against  the  com- 
mencement of  the  work  now,  which  will  not  hold  good 
to  the  end  of  time  ?  "  The  fearful  and  the  unbelieving," 


207 


as  well  as  the  indolent,  always  cry  the  time  is  not  yet, 
and  if  there  were  not  some  of  more  courage,  stronger 
faith,  and  greater  diligence,  every  attempt  to  reform 
what  is  amiss  would  fail,  through  the  pretence  that  the 
time  has  not  fully  come ;  and  if  they  were  to  be  the  judg- 
es, the  time  never  would  come.  The  time  to  set  about 
the  correction  of  an  evil,  is  when  you  become  sensible 
of  its  existence.  The  choice  of  time  which  is  left  to 
those  upon  whom  the  duty  of  performing  the  work  de- 
volves, has  no  application  to  the  period  when  the  work 
is  to  commence,  but  only  to  the  order  of  the  various 
means  and  steps  in  the  process  of  its  accomplishment. 

Again,  there  is  always  more  or  less  of  distance  and 
darkness  between  the  commencement  and  accomplish- 
ment of  every  great  enterprise.  None  has  ever  been 
entered  upon  with  an  unclouded  prospect  of  success. 
The  malignity  of  sin  is  apparent  from  the  very  difficulty 
of  removing  its  effects  ;  and  God  may  often  refuse  to 
give  immediate  and  easy  success  to  the  efforts  of  his 
children,  to  suppress  the  evils  that  afflict  the  church  or 
the  world,  lest  they  should  have  inadequate  views  of  the 
inveterate  nature  of  disobedience  tc  his  laws  and  require- 
ments. So  that  in  all  attempts  to  reform  evils  of  any 
magnitude,  it  is  necessary  to  exercise  faith  in  God,  and 
watch  for  the  development  which  his  providence  may 
bring  about.  If  we  are  unwilling  to  do  this,  and  insist 
on  his  making  our  way  plain  before  us,  the  whole  length 
of  the  journey,  ere  we  consent  to  enter  upon  it,  we  re- 
fuse to  trust  him  further  than  the  limited  extent  of  our 
own  vision  will  reach.  The  patriarch  Abraham,  when 
he  was  commanded  to  leave  his  kindred  and  the  land  of 
his  fathers,  to  sojourn  in  a  strange  country,  certainly 
did  not  foresee  the  manner  of  surmounting  every  diffi- 


208 


culty  that  lay  in  his  way,  or  of  sustEuning  every  trial  he 
might  be  called  to  endure.  But  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
obey  the  command  ;  he  believed  God,  and  was  pros- 
pered. Moses,  on  the  other  hand,  displeased  the  Lord, 
by  his  persistence  in  stating  difficulties  and  obstacles, 
when  directed  to  lead  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt 
into  the  promised  land ;  and  though  he  had  a  distant 
view  of  Canaan,  he  was  not  permitted  to  enter  upon  or 
enjoy  its  blessings,  while  it  was  reserved  to  Joshua, 
who  exhibited  a  more  simple  rehance  on  the  word  and 
the  promise  of  the  Lord,  to  lead  the  people,  and  take 
possession  himself  of  the  land  that  flowed  with  milk  and 
honey.  Instances  of  the  like  nature  might  be  multiplied 
from  the  Scri^  tures,  but  it  is  unnecessary. 

It  is  answered  that  in  these  cases  God  gave  support 
to  the  faithful  by  the  exercise  of  his  miraculous  power, 
and  that  in  our  case  it  is  not  to  be  expected,  as  mit  acles 
have  long  since  ceased.  Vv  e  reply  that  God  is  able 
now,  and  always  was,  to  perform  without  miracle  what- 
ever it  may  please  him  to  do  ;  and  whatever  he  has  pro- 
mised, he  will  assuredly  perform.  His  guidance  and 
direction  may  now  be  relied  on  by  all  who  sincerely 
desire  do  their  duty.  Prov.  iii.  6.  "  In  all  thy  ways 
acknowledge  God,  and  he  shall  direct  thy  paths."  Is. 
xxviii.  26.  "  God  doth  instruct  him  to  discretion,  and 
doth  teach  him."  Is.  xliii.  16.  "I  will  make  dark- 
ness light  before  thee,  and  crooked  things  straight." 
Ps.  xxxvii.  5.  "  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord,  trust 
also  in  him,  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass."  Is.  xxx.  21. 
"  Thine  ear  shfdl  hear  a  word  behind  thee,  saying,  this 
is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it."  These  exceeding  great  and 
precious  promises  were  confided  in  by  Luther,  or  he 
never  would  have  encountered  the  difficulties,  obstacles. 


209 


and  dangers  of  resisting  the  usurpations,  and  exposing 
the  abominations  of  popery,  and  of  bringing  a  church  to 
serve  God  out  of  mystical  Babylon.  He  believed  God, 
and  received  help  in  the  time  of  need.  We  have  strong 
facts  also  of  a  very  recent  date,  proving  the  faithfulness 
of  God  to  verify  his  word  of  promise  to  his  people,  when 
they  seek  to  glorify  him  by  extending  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  honouring  his  word,  and  suppressing  vice  and 
ungodliness.  What  was  it  but  confidence  in  the  help 
of  God,  that  encouraged  the  British  and  Foreign,  as 
well  as  the  American  Bible  Society,  to  undertake  the 
grand  enterprise  of  supplying  a  large,  and  then  a  larger, 
and  afterwards  a  still  larger  portion  of  the  human  family 
with  the  Bible  1  What  animated  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  and  the  various 
missionary  societies  in  England  and  the  continent,  to 
assume  the  sublime  duty  of  converting  the  world,  but 
their  belief  that  the  work  was  pleasing  to  the  Lord,  and 
that  he  had  made  it  the  duty  of  his  children  to  perform 
it,  and  would  certainly  afford  his  aid  ?  Has  he  forsaken 
any  of  the  benevolent  societies  of  the  day,  who  have 
sought  to  advance  his  cause  in  obedience  to  his  require- 
ments ? 

Even  individuals  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  delibe- 
rating and  acting  alone,  without  any  counsel  or  help  other 
than  that  of  their  Almighty  Friend,  have,  by  casting 
themselves  upon  him,  in  the  day  of  perplexity  and  trial, 
received  all  the  direction  and  help  which  they  needed, 
and  have  thus  been  enabled  to  accomplish  what,  but  to 
the  eye  of  faith,  would  seem  impossible.  The  apostle 
tells  "  of  Gideon,  and  of  Barak,  and  of  Samson,  and 
of  Jephthah,  of  David  also,  of  Samuel,  and  the  pro- 
phets, who  through  faith  subdued  kingdoms,  wrought 
18* 


210 


righteousness,  obtained  promises,  stopped  the  mouths 
of  lions,  quenched  the  violence  of  fire,  escaped  the  edge 
of  the  sword,  out  of  weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed 
valiant  in  fight,  and  turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the 
aliens."  Confidence  in  God  will  draw  forth  his  power 
to  help  now  as  much  as  it  did  in  the  days  of  those 
worthies.  Why  then  should  we  doubt  whether  he  will 
guide  his  people,  when  large  numbers  of  them  combine 
their  prayers,  their  counsels,  and  their  efforts  to  accom- 
plish a  work  so  dear  to  his  heart  as  the  healing  of  the 
divisions  that  have  rent  his  church  in  pieces,  the  restor- 
ing of  peace  among  her  warring  sections,  and  re-esta- 
blishing the  beauty  and  strength  of  her  unity  1 

Let  the  friends  of  the  Redeemer,  then,  only  enter 
with  their  whole  hearts  upon  the  work  which  it  is  their 
plain  duty  to  perform,  and  confidently  trust  in  his  al- 
mighty arm.  He  will  crown  their  labours,  in  due  time, 
with  complete  success,  and  the  results  will  be  glorious. 
The  distance,  alienation  of  affection,  disputes,  and  con- 
tentions which  now  separate  the  disciples  of  Christ,  and 
which  are  a  reproach  to  the  profession  of  reUgion,  will 
give  place  to  brotherly  love,  harmony,  and  peace.  Hy- 
pocrites and  unbelievers  will  not  find  so  easy  an  entrance 
into  the  church,  as  they  do  now,  in  the  sectarian  strife 
to  multiply  the  number  of  their  followers  ;  and  the  in- 
creased facilities  which  will  then  exist  to  maintain  a 
purer  discipUne,  will  render  their  expulsion  more  safe 
and  easy.  The  doctrines  and  the  duties  inculcated  in 
the  Bible  \vill  be  better  understood,  and  exert  a  more 
powerful  and  evident  influence  upon  those  who  bear  the 
name  of  Christ.  The  standard  of  piety  will  be  greatly 
elevated.  The  opposers  of  religion,  instead  of  being 
strengthened  in  their  opposition  and  unbelief  by  the 


211 


bigotry,  hypocrisy,  contentious  dispositions,  and  incon- 
sistent walk  of  Christians,  will  be  constrained  to  admire  a 
more  worthy  exhibition  by  its  possessors  of  the  holy  reli- 
gion of  the  Scriptures,  and  multitudes  of  them  will  be  con- 
verted to  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  Both  the  strength  and 
beauty  of  unity,  which  the  church  had  lost  during  the 
long  period  of  her  divisions,  will  be  restored.  The 
light  of  Christianity  will  shine  as  in  the  days  of  the 
apostles,  and  with  increasing  lustre.  The  plenitude  of 
God's  blessing  will  no  longer  be  withheld  from  his 
church,  when  his  children  shall  be  again  united  in  affec- 
tion, in  counsel,  in  action,  and  in  name.  The  waste 
places  in  Zion  will  all  be  repaired.  The  power  and 
wisdom  of  the  whole  united  church  will  be  combined  to 
send  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  and  the  Holy  Spirit, 
so  long  grieved  and  restrained  in  his  influences,  during 
the  strife  and  contests  of  sects,  will  be  poured  out  as 
rain  upon  the  mown  grass,  and  as  showers  that  water  the 
earth.  God  will  raise  up  many  labourers  like  Paul,  and 
nations  shall  be  born  in  a  day,  and  soon  will  the  world 
be  subdued  to  the  obedience  of  the  gospel.  The  heavens 
shall  drop  down  from  above,  and  the  skies  shall  pour 
down  righteousness.  The  earth  shall  open,  and  bring 
forth  salvation,  and  righteousness  shall  spring  up  to- 
gether, for  the  Lord  hath  created  it.  Then  will  the 
united  churches  of  Christ  be  a  crown  of  glory  in  the 
hands  of  the  Lord,  and  a  royal  diadem  in  the  hand  of 
our  God. 


A  N 

TO  ALL  CHRISTIANS 


APPEAL 

OF  EVERY  DENOMINATION. 


Christian  brethren,  have  we  placed  before  you  the 
picture  of  a  gloomy  fancy,  or  have  we  exhibited  to  you 
a  sober  view  of  the  reality  ?  Do  you  feel  with  us  for  the 
loss  sustained  by  the  individual  Christian,  the  church, 
and  the  world,  by  means  of  the  divisions  in  the  family  of 
the  Saviour?  Are  you  willing  to  mourn  with  us  over  the 
breaches  of  the  church,  her  desolations,  disgraced  con- 
dition, her  low  estate,  and  imminent  danger?  Let  us 
then  with  united  and  humbled  hearts  adopt  the  language 
of  the  Psalmist :  "  O  God,  thou  hast  cast  us  off ;  thou 
hast  scattered  us,  thou  hast  been  displeased ;  0  turn 
thyself  to  us  again.  Thou  hast  made  the  earth  to  trem- 
ble, thou  hast  broken  it ;  heal  the  breaches  thereof,  for 
it  shaketh."  Let  us,  with  Asa  and  Josiah,  with  Heze- 
kiah,  Daniel,  and  Ezra,  confess  our  iniquities,  and  the 
iniquities  of  our  fathers,  which  have  provoked  the  Lord 
to  anger,  and  let  us  supplicate  a  return  of  his  mercy  and 
his  loving  kindness,  that  he  may  restore  the  glory  of  his 
church,  and  smile  upon  his  people  who  are  called  after 
his  own  name. 

Let  us  not  only  humble  ourselves  before  our  offended 
God,  but  exert  ourselves  to  undo  what  we  and  our  fath- 
ers have  done  ;  employing  our  faculties,  our  privileges, 
and  opportunities,  to  heal  the  dinsions  in  the  church,  and 
restore  to  her  the  peace,  love,  and  unity,  which  she  en- 


213 


joyed  in  the  primitive  ages  of  Christianity  ;  yea,  that  the 
Lord  may  bestow  upon  her  blessings  still  more  abun- 
dant, even  such  as  he  has  promised  in  his  holy  word  to 
bestow  upon  her  in  the  latter  days. 

We  ought,  assuredly,  to  yield  to  the  motives  presented 
in  the  Bible  to  us  as  friends  of  Christ,  and  professors  of 
his  religion.  Do  we  desire  to  possess  evidence  of  our 
adoption  into  the  family  of  God  ?  Let  us  then  open  our 
hearts  to  the  exercise  of  brotherly  love.  Hereby  do  we 
know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  if  we 
love  the  brethren.  1  John  iii.  14.  Let  us  love,  and  ma- 
nifest our  love  by  treating  as  friends  the  brethren  ;  not 
only  those  of  our  own  name  and  party,  but  all  who  be- 
long to  Christ.  Whosoever  doeth  the  will  of  God  is  his 
brother,  sister,  and  mother ;  and  if  they  are  so  nearly 
and  dearly  related  to  him,  we  ought  to  feel  that  they  are 
in  like  manner  related  to  ourselves. 

Or  do  you  desire  the  consolations  peculiar  to  the  obe- 
dient disciples  of  Christ?  "  If  there  be  any  consolation 
in  Christ,  if  any  comfort  of  love,  if  any  fellowship  of  the 
Spirit,  if  any  bowels  and  mercies,  fulfil  ye  my  joy,  that 
ye  be  like  minded,  having  the  same  love,  being  of  one 
accord,  of  one  mind."  Phil.  ii.  1,  2.  Are  you  anxious 
to  become  established  in  the  faith  and  practice  of  the 
gospel  ?  Then  "  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  with  one  mind 
striving  together  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel."  Phil.  i.  27. 
Do  you  long  to  exercise  and  exhibit  the  same  mind  that 
was  also  in  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  knowing  that  he  who 
has  not  the  spirit  of  Christ  is  none  of  his  ?  Then  let  your 
hearts'  desire  and  prayer  be  like  unto  his,  that  his  disci- 
ples may  all  be  one,  as  he  and  the  Father  are  one.  Do 
you  wish  to  manifest  your  love  to  the  divine  Redeemer? 
Then  keep  his  commandments  ;  and  especially  the  new 


214 


commandment  he  gave  his  disciples,  "  that  ye  love  one 
another  as  I  have  loved  you."  John  xiii.  34. 

Do  you  wish,  Christian  brethren,  to  convince  a  gain- 
saying and  unbelieving  world  of  the  reality  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion  by  your  exhibition  of  its  character  and  influ- 
ence 1  Then  labour  to  promote  love  among  the  breth- 
ren ;  for  "  by  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  £ire  my  dis- 
ciples, if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  John  xiii.  35. 
And  let  us  all  be  one,  according  to  the  prayer  of  our 
Lord,  that  the  world  may  know  that  the  Father  hath  sent 
him. 

Is  it  our  desire  that  the  gospel  may  exert  its  power 
upon  the  lives  of  its  professors,  and  upon  the  whole  world 
now  lying  in  wickedness  and  ruin  1  Why  do  we  not  see 
this  desire  fulfilled  even  now  1  Does  not  our  blessed 
Saviour  himself  instruct  us  that  Christianity  is  diffusive 
in  its  nature  like  unto  leaven  ?  And  have  we  not  abun- 
dant means  to  propagate  the  gospel  among  those  who 
have  never  heard  its  joyful  soimd,  and  to  enforce  its 
claims  upon  those  who  inhabit  Christian  climes  ?  We 
have  a  thousand  Bibles  at  our  command  where  the  pri- 
mitive Christians  had  one;  and  we  have  millions  of  tracts, 
newspapers,  and  other  productions  of  the  press,  while  the 
apostles  had  none  of  these  to  minister  the  bread  of  life 
to  the  believer,  and  arouse  the  conscience  of  the  unbe- 
liever. All  these  we  have  in  addition  to  the  living  preach- 
er, and  these  we  can  send  where  he  cannot  be  spared  to 
go.  We  have,  moreover,  in  the  history  of  the  church, 
in  the  history  of  the  Jews,  and  of  the  world,  and  in  the 
fulfilment  of  prophecy,  subsequent  to  the  days  of  the 
apostles,  endence  as  convincing  perhaps  as  the  miracles 
which  were  wrought,  and  the  gifl  of  tongues  which  was 
exercised  in  their  day.    The  Holy  Spirit  has  the  same 


215 


power  over  the  hearts  of  men  to  convince,  persuade,  and 
subdue,  as  he  had  in  the  days  of  Paul,  and  Peter,  and  , 
John.  Why  then,  O  why,  do  not  Christians  possess  and 
exhibit  reUgion  in  the  Hfe  and  power  which  they  did  then, 
and  why  do  not  the  heathen  receive  the  gospel  as  they 
did  in  the  primitive  ages  ?    This  inquiry,  we  are  happy 
to  observe,  has  become  one  of  intense  interest.  1\  here- 
fore  is  so  little  effected,  while  the  means  employed  are 
so  ample,  and  apparently  adapted  to  the  end  sought  to 
be  accomplished  ?  Some  attribute  it  to  the  weakness  of 
our  faith,  and  others  to  a  lack  of  the  spirit  of  prayer,  or 
of  zeal,  or  of  self-denial  in  the  Christians  of  modem 
times.    And,  no  doubt,  in  these  things  we  are  greatly 
deficient ;  yet  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  how  much  more 
of  these  virtues  and  graces  were  exercised  in  the  days 
of  the  apostles  than  at  the  present  time.    While  we  are 
disposed  to  admit  that  we  come  behind  them  in  perhaps 
all  the  preceding  particulars,  do  we  not  fall  short  chiefly 
in  this,  that  we  are  not,  as  ihexj  ivere,  of  one  heart  and 
ONE  SOUL  1  Acts  iv.  32.    If  the  husband  and  wife,  who 
live  not  as  being  heirs  together  of  the  grace  of  life,  have 
thereby  their  prayers  hindered,  1  Pet.  iii.  7,  who  can  tell 
whether  the  prayers  and  efforts  of  believers  for  the  pros- 
perity of  Zion  are  not  hindered  by  their  unholy  divisions? 
We  verily  fear  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  grieved  by  our 
breathes  of  the  peace  and  unity  of  the  brotherhood,  so 
that  he  is  unwilling  to  impart  to  his  church  more  than  a 
scanty  measure  of  his  influence.  Can  the  spirit  of  peace 
and  love  delight  to  dwell  and  exert  the  fulness  of  his  in- 
fluence in  the  midst  of  the  controversies,  strife,  aliena- 
tion of  heart,  envy,  jealousy,  pride  and  vainglory  of  sects? 
Who  knows  whether  God  is  not  waiting  for  his  children 
to  restore  peace  and  brotherly  love  among  themselves, 


216 


and  to  the  church  its  primitive  unity,  before  it  will  please 
him  to  put  forth  the  fulness  of  his  power  upon  the  hearts 
of  men  in  the  evangelized  and  pagan  world  ?  The  re- 
buke which  a  holy  God  is  certainly  ministering  to  his 
people,  may  be  continued  until  the  occasion  of  it  shall 
be  removed.  How  can  we  act  in  the  right  spirit,  or  pray 
in  the  right  mind,  while  we  remain  in  our  present  state 
of  unlawful  division  1  A  husband  and  wife,  whose  affec- 
tions are  alienated  from  each  other,  cannot  send  up  their 
united  prayers  to  God  ;  and  their  individual  prayers  will 
be  hindered  ;  much  less  can  they  be  supposed  to  pray  in 
the  unity  of  the  spirit  when  living  in  a  state  of  actual  se- 
paration induced  by  their  disagreement.  If  they  do  not 
restrain  prayer  altogether,  the  duty  cannot  be  performed 
in  a  proper  frame  of  mind,  for  they  cannot  approach  the 
mercy  seat  without  a  consciousness  of  living  in  a  state 
which  is  offensive  to  God.  So  also  the  Christian,  who 
is  conscious  of  his  duty,  by  God's  requirement,  to  live  in 
love  and  unity  with  all  his  brethren,  "  and  that  there  may 
be  no  divisions  among  them,"  cannot,  while  living  in  a 
state  of  unlawful  separation,  come  to  the  throne  of  grace 
with  that  confidence  which  is  necessary  to  the  perform- 
ance of  acceptable  [)rayer.  "  If  our  heart  condemn  us 
not,  then  have  we  confidence  towards  God."  1  John  iii. 
21.  But  whose  heart  does  not  condemn  him  for  his  par- 
ticipation in  the  sin  of  division  in  the  church  of  Christ? 
Permit  us  to  assure  you  that  "  God  is  greater  than  our 
hearts,  and  knoweth  all  things."  1  John  iii.  20.  Let  us 
put  away  this  sin,  and  then  may  we  look  for  a  more  vig- 
orous faith,  a  faith  that  will  with  a  clear  conscience  lay 
hold  on  the  perfections  and  promises  of  God  ;  and  then 
may  we  hope  for  the  prevalence  of  fervent,  earnest,  hum- 
ble and  persevering  prayer;  and  then  wdl  the  united 


217 

supplications  of  God's  people  ascend  to  his  throne ;  and 
then  may  we  expect  to  behold  the  manifestation  of  more 
scriptural  zeal  and  self-denial.  And  then  shall  the  great 
hinderance  to  the  efforts  and  prayers  of  the  Lord's  ser- 
vants being  removed,  we  may  expect  the  influence  of 
his  Spirit  to  descend  upon  the  church,  as  rain  upon  the 
mown  grass,  and  as  showers  that  water  the  earth. 

In  urging  upon  you,  Christian  brethren,  to  unite  your 
hearts  and  your  energies  to  restore  the  original  unity  of 
the  church,  permit  us  to  appeal  to  your  love  for  the  glory 
of  the  Saviour's  name.  As  the  apostle  deprecated  the 
formation  of  a  party  among  the  Corinthians,  even  to  the 
exaltation  of  his  own  name,  preferring  infinitely  that  all 
the  glory  should  be  ascribed  to  Christ,  let  not  us  permit 
any  name  to  stand  in  competition  with  his,  nor  to  detract 
in  the  least  degree  from  the  honour  due  to  him.  Yea, 
let  us  not  suffer  any  name  to  be  great,  but  that  of  Christ, 
and  "  Id  every  name  be  lost  in  liis."  Remember,  we 
pray  you,  how  Jesus  connects  his  glory  with  the  unity 
of  his  disciples  ;  for  in  praying  to  the  Father  for  them, 
he  says,  "  And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me,  I  have 
given  them,  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one." 
John  xvii.  22. 

We  appeal  to  your  love  for  the  church  of  Christ, 
which  he  hath  purchased  with  his  own  blood,  and  to 
your  anxious  care  for  the  prosperity  of  that  church,  that 
she  may  grow  with  the  increase  of  God,  that  she  may 
answer  the  great  objects  for  which  she  has  been  consti- 
tuted, and  that  she  may  be  edified  in  every  part.  By 
your  regard  for  these,  we  would  urge  you  to  pray  and 
labour  to  restore  unity  and  harmony  to  the  members  of 
that  spiritual  body  of  which  Christ  is  the  head,  "  from 
whom  the  whole  body  fitly  joined  together,  and  compact- 
19 


218 


ed  by  that  which  every  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the 
effectual  working  in  the  measure  of  every  part,  maketh 
increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love." 
Eph.  iv.  16.  By  the  most  diligent,  assiduous  cultiva- 
tion of  the  spirit  of  brotherly  affection  and  unity,  let  us 
roll  away  the  reproach  which  the  church  is  suffering 
through  the  divisions  of  her  children  ;  and  prove  the  fal- 
sity of  the  libels  which  have  been  published  against  the 
religion  of  the  gospel,  by  showing  that  Christians  can 
live  together  in  harmony  and  love. 

Suffer  us  to  make  our  appeal  to  you,  as  lovers  of  the 
truth  of  God,  which  is  too  precious  to  be  longer  sacrificed 
on  the  altar  of  sect  and  party.  Until  the  watchmen 
shall  see  eye  to  eye,  the  church  will  be  troubled  and 
deformed  with  en-ors,  and  as  long  as  each  sect,adheres 
to  its  standard  of  doctrine,  so  long  will  those  errors  be 
perpetuated.  Let  us  then  unite  our  most  earnest  en- 
deavours and  our  prayers  to  bring  all  Christians  back  to 
the  only  unerring  standard  of  truth,  the  inspired  writings 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  and  to  the  rightful  and 
only  efficient  and  infallible  teacher,  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Let  no  writings  of  men  be  suffered  to  receive  the  honour 
which  is  due  only  to  the  word  of  God,  and  no  teacher  to 
bear  any  comparison  with  the  Spirit  of  truth.  Then 
"  shall  the  deaf  hear  the  words  of  the  book,  and  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  shall  see  out  of  darkness."  "  They  also 
that  erred  in  spirit,  shall  come  to  understanding,  and 
they  that  murmured  shall  learn  doctrine."  Let  the 
blinded  partisan  who  believes  his  church  to  be  the  only 
depository  of  the  truth,  and  the  members  of  his  church 
the  exclusive  friends  of  the  truth,  be  made  to  see  that 
the  cause  of  truth  will  be  best  advanced  during  the  uni- 
versal prevalence  of  the  gospel,  when  all  party  distinc- 


219 


tions  will  be  abolished.  And  let  us  not  forget  to  cherish 
those  truths  which  are  connected  with  the  peace  of  the 
church,  "  Love  the  truth  and  peace."  Zech.  viii.  19. 
"  Let  us  follow  after  the  things  which  make  for  peace." 
In  declaring  his  purpose  to  restore  his  favour  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Jerusalem,  God  promises,  Jer.  xxxiii.  6,  that 
he  "  will  reveal  unto  them  the  abundance  of  peace  and 
truth." 

May  we  not  indeed  confidently  appeal  to  you,  as  lo- 
vers of  the  peace  of  Jerusalem  ?  Must  the  sword 
devour  for  ever?  When  shall  it  have  an  end?  How 
dear  is  the  peace  of  the  church  to  the  heart  of  the  Sa- 
viour !  In  his  last  discourse  with  his  disciples,  pre- 
ceding his  death,  when  his  bowels  were  moved  with 
tender  emotion,  he  tells  them,  John  xiv.  27,  "  Peace 
I  leave  with  you.  My  peace  I  give  unto  you."  And 
after  he  had  risen  from  the  dead,  the  disciples  being 
assembled  at  evening,  and  the  doors  of  the  house 
being  shut,  he  came  and  stood  in  the  midst  of  them, 
and  said,  "  Peace  be  unto  you.  Then  were  the  dis- 
ciples glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord.  Then  said  Jesus 
to  them  again.  Peace  be  unto  you."  "  And  after  eight 
days,  his  disciples  were  within,  and  Thomas  was  with 
them,  then  came  Jesus,  the  doors  being  shut,  and 
stood  in  the  midst,  and  said.  Peace  be  unto  you." 
John  XX.  19,  20,  21,  26.  When  shall  the  desires  of 
the  Saviour  be  accomplished  in  a  conformity  of  the  feel- 
ings and  intercourse  of  his  disciples,  to  his  own  bene- 
volent heart?  Even  the  children  of  the  world  shall,  in 
the  days  to  come,  be  hushed  into  peace,  for  "  they  shall 
beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears 
into  pruning  hooks.  Nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword 
against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more. 


220 


But  they  shall  sit  every  man  under  his  vine  and  under 
his  fig-tree,  and  none  shall  make  them  afraid."  Micah. 
iv.  3,  4.  It  cannot  be  that  the  followers  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace  shall  alone  hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  grand 
seducer  inciting  to  contention  and  division,  when  the 
nations  of  the  earth  shall  hearken  to  the  voice  of  reason 
and  of  God,  so  that  the  wolf  shall  lie  down  with  the 
lamb,  and  the  child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp. 
There  is  already  formed  and  in  operation  a  "  Peace  So- 
ciety," whose  efforts,  we  hope,  God  will  bless,  by  mov- 
ing the  nations  of  the  earth  for  ever  to  sheath  the  sword 
of  war.  Already  do  we  count  upon  the  advantages 
which  will  result  to  the  church  of  Christ,  by  the  removal 
of  the  obstacles  which  war  presents  to  the  progress  of 
Christianity.  But  how  do  we  know,  Christian  brethren, 
whether  the  peace  of  ci\il  commimities  and  of  nations 
is  not  suspended  on  the  restoration  of  peace  in  the 
church  of  Christ  ?  Perhaps  the  Lord  may  turn  a  deaf 
ear  to  the  supplications  of  his  people,  to  moderate  the 
heat  of  political  parties  in  this  country,  until  they  shall 
have  banished  the  spirit  of  party  from  the  church.  Per- 
haps God  will  not  incline  the  nations  of  the  world  to  put 
up  the  devouring  sword,  while  his  children  are  continu- 
ing strife  and  divisions  between  one  another.  We  have 
at  least  no  right  to  assume  that  he  will  invert  the  order 
of  things  which  he  has  himself  established,  by  making 
the  world  the  salt  of  the  church,  instead  of  leaving  the 
church  to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth ;  or  in  other  words, 
that  he  will  give  peace  and  unity  to  civil  communities 
and  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  while  the  church  remains 
the  only  theatre  of  war  and  divison.  The  Saviour  tells 
his  disciples,  Mark  ix.  50,  "  Have  salt  in  yourselves, 
and  have  peace  one  with  another."    Let  us  not,  dear 


221 


brethren,  undervalue  the  blessings  of  peace  in  the  church, 
which  is  so  very  dear  to  our  Saviour.  His  gospel  is 
called  the  "  gospel  of  jjeace."  At  his  birth,  the  angels 
announced  to  the  shepherds  "  peace  on  earth."  The 
blessing  of  peace  is  mentioned  in  the  Bible  perhaps 
more  frequently  than  any  other.  Indeed  the  word  is  often 
used  to  embrace  within  its  meaning  every  other  bless- 
sing,  as  though  none  were  of  any  value  in  comparison 
with  it ;  and  as  though  God  designed  to  teach  us  that 
there  can  be  no  compensation  for  the  loss  of  peace  ;  and 
that  whatever  may  be  sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  peace, 
the  supposed  loss  will  oftentimes  prove  to  be  gain. 

We  address  ourselves  to  the  advocates  and  apologists 
of  sect,  and  beseech  them  to  examine  well  the  ground 
on  which  they  stand,  and  bring  all  their  opinions  to  the 
test  of  the  only  standard  of  religious  truth,  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  We  entreat  them  to  remember  how  difficult 
it  has  always  been  to  keep  the  church  from  departing 
from  the  writings  of  inspiration,  and  how  prone  men 
have  always  been  to  receive  in  their  stead  the  command- 
ments, the  traditions,  and  the  fallacious  reasonings  of 
men.  We  pray  you  to  reflect  on  the  many  and  direful 
evils,  the  unlawful  and  unconstitutional  character  of 
divisions  in  the  church,  and  on  the  beauty,  the  strength, 
and  excellence  of  unity.  Such  evils  can  you  entail,  — 
such  blessings  will  you  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  party 
strife?  Consider,  we  implore  you,  the  tremendous  guilt 
coimected  with  the  maintenance  of  disunion  in  the 
household  of  Christ,  the  consequent  disgrace  of  the 
church,  and  the  incalculable  loss  of  precious  souls. 

We  address  ourselves  also  to  all  who  are  engaged  in 
religious  controversy,  although  they  may  not  be  the  ad- 
vocates or  apologists  of  sect,  and  we  beg  of  them  to 
19* 


222 


weigh  well  the  tendency  of  their  labours,  especially  at 
this  crisis  in  the  aflaira  of  the  church.  Think,  Christian 
brethren,  whether  our  divine  Master  has  not  a  more 
profitable  service  for  you  to  perform,  than  to  keep  up 
contentions  which  tend  to  widen  and  multiply,  or  at 
least  continue  the  breaches  already  existing  in  the 
church.  The  friends  of  Christ  have  now  no  time  to  spare 
for  these  purposes,  when  the  providence  of  God  calls 
for  thousands  of  labourers  to  be  otherwise  employed. 
There  is  little  danger  that  Christians  will  forget,  or  fail 
to  appreciate,  the  truths  of  God's  word,  while  they  shall 
be  like  their  Saviour,  diligently  employed  in  doing  good, 
and  obeying  his  command  to  evangelize  the  world. 
Now,  if  ever,  we  should  be  following  after  the  things 
which  make  for  peace,  and  let  the  din  of  controversy 
cease  to  distract  the  Christian  community,  while  the 
foes  of  the  church  are  thickening  upon  her.  Where  ia 
the  profit  or  propriety  of  discussing  every  subtle  diffi- 
culty in  the  speculative  theology  of  the  church,  while 
the  church  itself,  as  a  house  divided  against  itself,  is  in 
imminent  danger  of  being  brought  to  desolation. 

We  would  appeal  to  all  tVie  friends  of  the  reunion  of 
the  church,  and  exhort  them  to  "  be  strong  and  of  good 
courage  ;  be  not  afraid  nor  be  ye  dismayed,  for  the  Lord 
our  God  (as  we  verily  believe)  is  with  you."  He  has 
established  the  church  originally  upon  the  basis  of  unity, 
and  she  shall  again  be  one,  and  your  prayers  and  exer- 
tions for  healing  its  divisions  will  be  pleasing  to  him,  and 
in  due  time  you  will  reap,  if  you  faint  not ;  for  he  will 
command  his  blessing  upon  you,  and  prosper  your  ef- 
forts. He  can  melt  away  every  obstacle  that  now  pre- 
sents itself  agamst  the  holy  cause  which  you  have  es- 
poused ;  and  sooner  than  you  now  dare  to  hope.  Mul- 


223 


titudes  who  are  at  present  blinded  by  the  influence  of 
sect,  will  come  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help 
of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty.  And  even  if  you  should 
fail,  brethren,  what  can  be  the  loss?  Consider  the 
means  we  propose  to  be  pursued  for  restoring  the  unity 
of  the  church,  and  say  whether  these  will  leave  the 
church  in  a  worse  condition  than  she  now  is  ?  Who  can 
doubt  that  she  will  be  greatly  benefited,  when  by  them 
the  religion  of  Christ  will  be  raised  to  a  higher  standard, 
as  well  as  be  more  widely  diffused  through  the  world  t 
You  and  your  children  will  participate  in  the  general 
blessing.  At  all  events,  the  reward  of  the  peacemaker 
will  be  yours  ;  for  Christ  himself  has  declared,  "  blessed 
are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be  called  the  chil- 
dren of  God." 

We  appeal  to  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  for 
to  you  belongs  the  principal  agency  in  this  work  of  the 
Lord.  You  are  the  watchmen  on  the  walls  of  Zion,  ap- 
pointed to  make  strict  observation  of  the  position  of  the 
enemy,  and  of  every  movement  he  makes  in  his  assaults 
upon  your  Master's  kingdom ;  and  to  you  it  belongs  as 
officers  under  the  Captain  of  salvation,  so  to  marshal  and 
lead  on  his  forces  as  to  ensure  the  conquest  he  designs 
to  make  of  the  world,  now  under  the  usurped  dominion 
of  Satan.^  To  you  it  pertains  to  collect  the  scattered 
bands  of  Christ,  to  persuade  them  to  dismiss  the  spirit 
of  discord,  and  to  infuse  into  them  the  spirit  of  love  and 
unity.  Of  all  men,  you  are  to  exert  the  mightiest  in- 
fluence. By  all  means,  let  there  be  no  divisions  among 
you. 

We  make  our  appeal  to  the  laymen  of  our  churches, 
and  especially  those  of  the  legal  profession.  You  are 
beginning  to  assume  a  labour  and  exert  an  influence  in 


224 


matters  of  religion,  which  a  few  years  ago  was  almost 
wholly  confided  to  and  borne  by  the  clergy.  We  count 
much,  and  place  great  rehance  on  your  aid  in  this  holy 
enterprise.  You  are  certainly  free  from  many  of  the 
entanglements  of  sect,  in  which  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel  are  involved.  You  are  not  bigots,  and  it  is  with 
you  to  sustain  and  encourage  such  of  the  clergy  as  would 
fain  break  the  iron  chain  which  holds  them.  As  you 
are  capable  of  understanding  the  subjects  discussed  in 
this  work,  we  earnestly  solicit  your  attention,  and  the 
exercise  of  your  deliberate  judgement  upon  them  ;  and 
if  you  come  to  the  same  conclusions  with  ourselves,  as 
to  the  evils,  the  unlawful  and  unconstitutional  character 
of  sectarian  divisions,  and  the  duty  of  Christians  to 
restore  the  original  unity  of  the  church,  we  may  assure 
ourselves  of  your  cordial  co-operation. 

We  would  address  ourselves  also  to  the  conductors  of 
religious  newspapers  and  other  periodicals.  You  are 
doubtless  conscious  of  your  power  in  the  direction  of 
public  sentiment ;  and  we  are  aware  that  if  you  frown 
upon  our  enterprise,  the  difficulty  of  accomplishing  it 
will  be  greatly  increased.  Should  you  smile  upon  it, 
we  would  count  on  you  as  our  most  powerful  auxiliaries. 
As  you  acknowledge  your  obligation  to  improve  the  ta- 
lents committed,  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  your  care, 
and  especially  your  duty  to  advance  the  best  interests  of 
the  church,  not  of  a  sect  or  party,  but  of  the  church  of 
Christ,  we  may  reasonably  expect  that  you  will  not 
condemn  our  scheme  without  examination,  nor  withliold 
your  countenance,  if  you  deem  us  entitled  to  it,  from  the 
merits  of  our  cause. 

To  our  young  men  just  commencing  or  about  to  com- 
mence the  service  of  Christ  in  the  ministry  or  otherwise, 


225 


we  would  speak  a  word  of  entreaty.  See  that  you  build 
not  up  the  walls  of  partition.  You  are  desirous  of 
doing  something  for  your  Saviour,  for  your  fellow- 
Christians,  and  for  sinners,  upon  which  you  may  look 
back  with  pleasure,  when  your  race  shall  have  been 
run,  as  well  as  during  all  the  stages  of  your  course. 
While  you  resolve  to  be  content  with  any  place  which 
God  may  assign  for  the  performance  of  your  labours  in 
his  vineyard,  you  will  not  shrink  from  occupying  a  posi- 
tion which  may  require  arduous  toil,  and  persevering 
watchfulness,  and  severe  self-denial  to  sustain.  Nor 
would  you  refuse  an  employment  which  bids  fair  to 
bring  much  honour  to  the  Lord  you  desire  to  serve,  and 
much  of  everlasting  benefit  to  immortals  souls.  Here, 
then,  is  presented  to  you  an  enterprise  worthy  the  ambi- 
tion (if  that  word  may  be  used  in  an  innocent  sense)  of 
a  Christian  soldier,  of  a  youthful  Christian  soldier, 
whose  bosom  beats  with  ardor  to  hasten  the  victory 
which  Christ  hath  purchased  with  his  blood ;  an  enter- 
prise which,  when  accomplished,  will  constitute  the 
"bond  of  perfectness,"  to  give  unity,  beauty,  and 
strength  to  the  whole  system  of  means  ordained  of  God, 
to  bring  back  to  their  allegiance  a  revolted,  ruined  world. 

We  appeal  to  Christians  of  every  denomination.  We 
offer  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  as  belonging  to 
the  same  family  of  Christ,  exposed  to  the  same  dangers, 
dependent  upon  the  same  protiector,  supported  by  the 
same  hopes,  sustained  by  the  same  means  of  grace, 
having  in  view  the  same  end,  and  hoping  to  inhabit  the 
same  heaven.  We  long  to  have  the  wall  of  separation 
between  us  not  lowered  merely,  but  razed  to  the  ground, 
so  that  there  may  be  no  division  between  us,  and  that 
we  may  be  one,  even  as  Jesus  and  the  Father  are  one. 


226 


one  in  affection,  in  counsel,  in  action,  and  in  name. 
Brethren,  we  have  no  separate  interests ;  your  church 
is  ours,  and  our  church  is  yours.  All  things  are  yours, 
and  all  things  are  ours.  We  and  you  are  Christ's,  and 
Christ  is  God's.  Wherefore  should  we  any  longer  con- 
tend? Wherefore  should  we  any  more  live  apart? 
Has  not  God  put  us  together,  as  branches  of  the  same 
vine,  as  sheep  of  the  same  fold,  brethren  of  the  same 
household,  and  members  of  the  same  body  l  why  then 
should  we  suffer  men  to  keep  us  asunder?  On  unim- 
portant points  we  may  differ,  but  why  should  we  con- 
tend? 

We  appeal  to  the  Christians  of  America.  To  you 
much  is  given,  and  of  you  much  is  required.  You  are 
unfettered  by  religious  establishments,  and  to  you  the 
task  of  abohshing  sects,  and  reuniting  the  church,  will  be 
comparatively  easy.  The  church,  in  tliis  country,  is 
not  connected  with  state,  of  course  the  state  will  not 
impede  her  in  any  scheme  of  reformation  she  may  pur- 
sue, nor  will  she  disturb  the  state  by  any  changes  which 
she  may  undergo.  We  are  privileged  beyond  the  rest 
of  the  world,  in  the  enjoyment  of  liberty  of  conscience, 
and  the  pure  ministry  of  the  gospel.  Let  us  improve 
our  advantages  and  facilities. 

We  close  with  the  following  extract  from  a  sermon 
published  in  the  National  Preacher  of  February,  1834. 
"  To  American  Christians,  it  is  believed,  is  assigned  in 
"  the  purposes  of  heaven,  much  of  the  honour  of  that 
"  moral  renovation  of  the  human  family,  which  is  ere 
"  long  to  be  experienced.  A  littie  less  than  a  century 
"  since,  the  immortal  Edwards  employed  his  mighty 
"mind  in  attempting  to  show  the  probability  that  the 
"millenium  will  commence  in  this  country.  Whether 


227 


'  or  not  this  opinion  is  well  founded,  there  can  be  no 
'  doubt  that  Christians  in  America  may  have  a  share  in 
'  the  high  honour  of  diffusing  the  blessings  of  that  happy 
'  period  throughout  the  globe.  It  is  a  momentous 
"  question,  one  which  ought  to  come  home  to  every 
"  heart  that  feels  the  love  of  God,  whether  their  share 
"  in  this  honour  shall  be  great  or  small.  Could  I  raise 
"  my  feeble  voice  to  a  note  which  might  be  heard  through 
"  the  breadth  of  the  land,  I  would  urge  on  every  saint 
"  that  love  to  all  the  household  of  faith,  by  which  the 
"  Saviour  has  taught  that  the  disciples  shall  be  known. 
"  I  would  say  to  him,  brother,  as  you  love  the  Saviour, 
"  as  you  desire  to  see  his  glories  spread  around  the 
"world,  and  the  souls  of  men  redeemed  from  hell,  take 
*'  heed  that  whenever  you  meet  an  individual  bearing 
"his  image,  by  what  name  soever  he  may  be  called, 
"you  embrace  him  in  the  arms  of  Christian  affection, 
"  and  be  ready  to  co-operate  with  him  in  every  good 
"  work.  Too  long  has  the  church  crippled  her  own 
"  energies,  and  retarded  her  growth  by  mutual  dissen- 
"  sion,  and  the  spirit  of  party.  As  the  brightness  of  a 
"  more  glorious  day  begins  to  dawn  upon  her,  0  let  this 
"  spirit  cease,  and  its  place  be  occupied  by  that  love 
"  which  seeketh  not  her  own." 


THE  END. 


DATE  DUE 

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T 



GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 

